The Department of Homeland Security has surged federal law enforcement personnel into Minneapolis amid what officials describe as a sharp escalation in violence against officers operating in the city, which has been designated a sanctuary jurisdiction, according to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
McLaughlin said the deployment was necessary because sanctuary policies in Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota restrict cooperation between federal agents and local law enforcement, leaving DHS officers exposed while carrying out immigration enforcement operations.
“So what’s happening with Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota is it is a sanctuary city, so DHS law enforcement, we’re not allowed to engage with their local law enforcement,” McLaughlin said.
“We’re not allowed in their jails, and local law enforcement are not allowed to respond to backup to our officers.”
According to McLaughlin, those restrictions have coincided with what she described as a coordinated campaign of violence against federal officers.
“So what we’ve been seeing is a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement officers,” she said.
Hellbound and Down 