Chanhassen City Council address weekend ICE arrest, protest
Chanhassen City Council members discussed an ICE operation over the weekend in Chanhassen that sparked a protest in frigid temperatures. (FOX 9)
CHANHASSEN, Minn. (FOX 9) - Chanhassen City Council members responded to the ICE arrest over the weekend in Chanhassen that sparked a protest in frigid temperatures.
Weekend arrest
The backstory:
On Saturday, a large group confronted ICE agents as they attempted to arrest two construction workers at a build on Avienda Parkway.
One man was taken away by ambulance, but the other stayed on a roof until ICE agents left, in part thanks to help from the crowd of activists, some of whom provided warm drinks, food and blankets.
Chanhassen leaders respond
What we know:
Before the council broke ranks for the evening, council member Mark Von Oven spoke about the "process, transparency and constitutional protections" needed during a federal immigration raid at the construction site on Saturday.
Von Oven spoke on the need for increased communication between city and federal agents.
"When federal agents arrive in a community without coordination with local law enforcement… They create a situation where constitutional rights could be violated," Von Oven said.
"How is it that we’ve become so blinded by our own political bias that we have forced ourselves into a standoff like this?" he rhetorically asked.
Von Oven was elected to the City Council in 2022, and has lived in Chanhassen since 2016, according to his city website biography.
He later noted that he believes in "legal immigration" and that "illegal immigration is illegal" and that "those who enter illegally, or overstay their visas should face consequences."
What's next:
Von Oven said he plans to craft "locally focused" regulations on how to work with federal agents that the council could discuss at a future meeting.