The director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s St. Paul Field Office said law enforcement has no issue with members of the public observing or recording their work, but warned that some protests have crossed from lawful assembly into behavior that interferes with operations and exposes officers and their families to violent threats.
Sam Olson addressed the balance between constitutional rights and officer safety while discussing recent protest activity directed at ICE operations in Minnesota.
Olson framed the issue around the First Amendment, drawing a distinction between peaceful assembly and actions that disrupt law enforcement duties.
“Time we spend here focusing on the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, but if we look to the First Amendment right, I think that the right, it doesn’t read the right to protest, right? It’s the right to peacefully assemble,” Olson said.
Olson said ICE personnel routinely encounter members of the public who observe, record, or speak with officers during enforcement actions, and that such conduct, by itself, is not a problem.
“And when we’re out there, we have no problem with, you know, the public watching what we do, filming what we do, talking to us while we do it,” he said.
According to Olson, the issue arises when individuals move beyond observation and enter operational areas or interfere with officers’ ability to carry out their duties.
Hellbound and Down 