A Roseville resident shares their thoughts about recent ICE activity with City Council and packed meeting chambers on Monday night. Image credit: Max Jasper/The Roseville Reporter
Residents urge swift action as Roseville city council weighs limits on ICE use of city property and resources.
By Max Jasper — Community Reporter
More than 70 residents spoke during public comment at Monday night’s Roseville City Council meeting, filling the chambers and spilling into overflow seating in the hallway as they urged the city to respond to a week of heightened U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in local neighborhoods, parks and near schools.
The meeting, which stretched past 10 p.m., centered on Item 8A, a request from Councilmember Matt Bauer for the city to examine restrictions on the use of city property, staff and data by federal immigration agencies. The discussion followed nearly two hours of testimony from residents describing fear, confusion and what many characterized as harassment by ICE officers operating in Roseville.
Several speakers shared firsthand accounts of ICE detentions occurring near schools, mobile home communities and public parks. Many said the presence of unmarked vehicles and masked officers had left families, including U.S. citizens, afraid to leave their homes.
Angela Byrne, a parent and library employee at Harambee Elementary in Maplewood, Minn., told the council that a school bus carrying children as young as 5 was blocked by an ICE detention on Friday morning. She said that children witnessed the detention of their neighbors and came into the building showing teachers photos and videos.
Byrne added that staff had been running errands and delivering curriculum materials to families too afraid to travel.
Others framed the issue through personal and historical lenses. Michelle Morse-Wendt, whose grandfather Howard Johnson is the namesake of a Roseville park, said it was deeply upsetting that ICE had reportedly used the park as a staging area.
“To think that this hallowed ground for our family and our community can even be considered as a staging area for ICE is disgustingly demoralizing,” Wendt said.
Some residents called for the city to adopt a formal separation ordinance, a policy that would limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement beyond what is required by law.
Melissa Kerry, an immigrant and advocate, said her teenage son now carries his passport at all times and is not allowed to leave home without a parent.
“My community is very scared,” Kerry said. “No city resources should support the work of ICE in any way.”
A petition delivered by resident Lynda Gridley included more than 300 signatures gathered over the weekend. It called for prohibiting city employees from assisting in civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant, banning participation in joint task forces and requiring visible identification for all law enforcement operating within city limits.
Not all speakers opposed ICE activity. Resident Alan Holasek urged the council not to undermine the work that ICE is doing, citing national crime statistics and arguing that federal agents target individuals who have committed crimes. His comments stood in contrast to the majority of testimony, which focused on fear and community disruption.
Following public comment, the council unanimously voted to extend the meeting to discuss Item 8A. Mayor Dan Roe acknowledged the intensity of the testimony.
“Having the input from the community was very helpful and important to this process,” Roe said. “I completely understand people’s concern about what is going on, and believe me, I’m not at all happy about it.”
Roe proposed using three sources, Bauer’s initial request, a nine-point list submitted by Councilmember Julie Strahan and the resident petition as the basis for legal review and potential ordinance drafting.
City Attorney Kari Tierney reminded the council that any ordinance must be publicly posted for 10 days before adoption under state law.
Councilmember Bauer said the city’s existing 2017 immigration policy, which limits local police involvement in federal immigration enforcement, has served the city well but may need strengthening. He asked staff to analyze whether the city can prohibit ICE from using city property or accessing city data in real time.
Strahan emphasized that many of the requests align with policies adopted in other Minnesota cities. She noted that only Mayor Roe served on the council during the 2017 debate over a separation ordinance, which ultimately failed.
City Manager Patrick Trudgeon said staff would need time to review legal constraints, evaluate policy options and determine which items belong in ordinance language versus internal policy. The earliest the council could consider draft language is Jan. 26.
The council directed staff to return with draft ordinance options, policy recommendations and legal analysis. Roe said the goal is to ensure any action the city takes is both effective and legally sound.
“I want to make sure that what we do is the most effective thing we can do and that it has the best impact it can have,” Roe said.
