Video shows ICE agents pulling man from car in Minneapolis and arresting him

By Ubah Ali

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    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — Immigration agents pulled an undocumented man from the passenger seat of a car in Minneapolis on Friday.

They say they arrested him because he showed “a reckless disregard for the safety of others.”

That dramatic arrest was caught on camera near the Walker Art Center.

The video is about two minutes long and shows the struggle that ensued as concerned community members watched and recorded, including Cynthia Daggett.

“They may have had a warrant, it may have been a legitimate stop, but very hard to trust that,” Daggett said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement wouldn’t answer if it had a warrant or not, but immigration attorney Gloria Contreras Edin says ICE is operating within the law.

“It is clear that ICE has the authority to arrest someone without any written documentation handed to an individual before the arrest,” Contreras Edin said.

In a statement, ICE officials said:

“For more than two decades, illegal alien Javier Yanez Morales, has put the public at risk for repeatedly and selfishly choosing to drink and drive, showing reckless disregard for the safety of others. This same disregard extends to immigration law which Morales has violated for just as long. Morales has been illegally entering the United States as far back as 1998, but despite being previously deported to Mexico he continued to commit crimes including domestic assault and false reporting. When ICE officers moved to take him into custody in Minneapolis, he resisted arrest. A passenger who interfered only escalated the situation, creating unnecessary danger for themselves, bystanders, and the officers.”

WCCO has confirmed Morales was charged with DWI with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 in July.

Arrests like these are reigniting debate as federal immigration authorities promise to step up enforcement across the country, especially in sanctuary cities.

“Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals,” President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said. “The sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don’t want, more agents in the communities and more worksite enforcement. Why is that? Because they won’t let one agent arrest one bad guy to jail.”

A 2017 Minneapolis city ordinance prevents city employees like police from proactive immigration enforcement.

Earlier this summer, a federal raid on Lake Street raised concerns about police cooperation with ICE. An audit published earlier this month found the city did not violate its separation ordinance.

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