Augsburg University officials: ICE agents pointed weapons at students, staff during confrontation

MPD chief confirms ICE operation at Augsburg campus

FOX 9's Leah Beno spoke with Minneapolis Police Chief O'Hara about the city's effort to deter agents from public parking spaces as well as federal operations across the city.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Augsburg University officials say ICE agents pointed weapons at students and staff while conducting an operation on the Minneapolis campus targeting an undergraduate student on Saturday, the university says.

ICE agents at Augsburg University 

Alleged ICE activity spotted on Augsburg University campus

Video sent to FOX 9 shows alleged ICE agents on the Augsburg University campus on Saturday.

What we know:

A FOX 9 viewer who shared video of ICE agents on the Augsburg University campus says they arrived just before 4 p.m. on Saturday.  The video shows multiple unmarked vehicles and what appear to be members of federal law enforcement near the back of a parking lot.

What we don't know:

In a statement, Augsburg officials said "masked ICE agents" targeted an undergraduate student on campus and were involved in a confrontation with members of the campus community outside a residence hall.

"They aimed weapons at witnesses that included staff and students while many more students watched from their windows," said an Augsburg spokesperson wrote. "These tactics, with the implicit threat of violence, are unacceptable, dangerous, and profoundly disturbing."

"As an urban university, Augsburg has long-standing, professional relationships with local law enforcement, and we are accustomed to partnering closely on public safety issues," the statement continues. "What happened on December 6 was far outside the scope of our normal experience. Our focus in the wake of this traumatic incident is on the safety and well-being of our campus community. Now more than ever, our mission of education is critical to the healthy functioning of a free, democratic society."

While DHS typically does not release details about ongoing operations, citing security purposes, FOX 9 has reached out to federal officials for further details on the incident.

Minneapolis executive order

The backstory:

This comes as the city of Minneapolis is working to enforce a new executive order signed by Mayor Frey. 

The executive order prevents city-owned parking lots, ramps, garages and vacant lots from being used in civil immigration enforcement operations.

READ MORE: ICE restricted from Minneapolis-owned parking areas, Mayor Frey orders

The order also directs city staff to design a signage template for local businesses and property owners who want to show their support for immigrants and mark their property as off-limits for these activities.  

What they're saying:

Speaking with FOX 9 on Sunday, Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed ICE was involved in the incident at Augsburg. He also explained how the executive order would be enforced. 

"If we're called upon, I think generally, the calls would be forwarded to 311," Chief O'Hara said. "So it would be a very low-priority call, unless there's, you know, other things about the call. If they're uncertain, there's people with guns, they're uncertain if they're law enforcement or not. But generally speaking, the most we would do would be to document what would happen and forward that to the city attorney's office for civil enforcement. I just want to be clear, this isn't something that gives police the authority to make arrests.