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Minneapolis City Council set to take stronger stance against ICE

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Minneapolis City Council set to take stronger stance against ICE


The Minneapolis City Council will vote on Thursday to bolster a 22-year-old ordinance that restricts police officers from helping ICE agents or taking part in federal immigration enforcement.

Minneapolis’ separation ordinance

The backstory:

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The City of Minneapolis first passed its separation ordinance in 2003, following the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and ICE under the Bush administration. Cities across the country began passing laws, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, following suggestions from Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2002 that state and local authorities should act as conduits for federal immigration enforcement.

Among other requirements, Minneapolis’ separation ordinance forbids Minneapolis police from taking part in immigration enforcement or assisting ICE agents. It also prevents city employees from investigating an individual when the only law they’ve violated is being in the United States illegally. City employees are also restricted from inquiring about immigration status except when required to do so by law.

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Big picture view:

This week, the council presented a revised version of the separation ordinance with tougher language intended to combat ICE, amid a targeted immigration operation ordered by President Trump focused on the Somali community. In recent weeks, ICE agents have been spotted across the Twin Cities, especially in predominately Somali areas. Just this week, an enforcement operation in Cedar-Riverside ended in a confrontation with ICE agents pepper spraying protesters. During that operation, city leaders say an American citizen was arrested by ICE agents, forcefully handcuffed, and hauled down to a detention center in Bloomington.

The current review of the separation ordinance was sparked by a federal raid in June on a Mexican restaurant that turned out to be a criminal investigation. The raid did, however, spark an anti-ICE protest and a heavy police response.

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Minneapolis council considers changes

Local perspective:

The new ordinance declares the city will “vigorously oppose” any attempt to use city resources for immigration enforcement. The revised ordinance also codifies an executive order issued last week by Mayor Jacob Frey restricting ICE from staging operations in city-owned lots, parking lots or ramps.

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There are exemptions that allow police to work with ICE or federal authorities for operations like criminal investigations. In those cases, the new ordinance requires police officials to prepare a report detailing the operation and explaining why the city took part and submit it to the mayor, the council, and the public. The ordinance also opposes the government’s practice of hiding the identity of federal agents, saying that working alongside anyone who lacks clear agency identification, who is masked, or conceals their identity or badges would be contrary to the values of the city and harmful to the trust and public safety of city residents.

Dig deeper:

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Along with the separation ordinance, council also approved an additional $40,000 in funding for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota to support legal services for immigrants in Minneapolis. The law center helps immigrants detained by ICE, those seeking citizenship, and provides advice for those at risk of immigration enforcement.

What’s next:

The Minneapolis City Council will meet at 9:30 a.m. to vote on the separation ordinance and other measures on its calendar. The separation ordinance is Item 1 under the Committee of the Whole schedule titled “Employee authority in immigration matters ordinance: Title 2.” We will stream the meeting in the live player above.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis construction workers call on developers to take stand against ICE

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Minneapolis construction workers call on developers to take stand against ICE


Construction workers in Minneapolis on Friday called for developers to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave Minnesota and offer protections for their crews. Protesters at a separate demonstration on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis asked corporate businesses to end what they call cooperation with immigration enforcement.



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Fan behind Anthony Edwards’ orange bracelet has beaten cancer

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Fan behind Anthony Edwards’ orange bracelet has beaten cancer


The story behind Anthony Edwards wearing a bright orange bracelet since last season has received a positive development, after Timberwolves fans learned Luca Wright has beaten leukemia.

Anthony Edwards, Luca Wright connection

What we know:

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Last January, the 6-year-old Minnesotan met “Ant” for the first time following a game against the Detroit Pistons, proclaiming him to be his favorite player, and asking him to wear a bracelet that symbolizes leukemia awareness, resilience and support for those affected. During the interaction, the fan had created a sign with a to-do list: “1. Beat Cancer. 2. Be The Next MJ.”

Leukemia is a type of cancer that spreads throughout the bloodstream, infecting bone marrow and a person’s lymphatic system by rapid production of abnormal white blood cells that can’t fight infection.

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Since then, the Wolves’ MVP has worn a bracelet that proclaims, “Love Like Luca” on it for every game he has played, vowing to wear it “until he hangs up his sneakers.”

Ant has gone on to explain how the gesture connected with him given that he lost both his mother, Yvette, and grandmother, Shirley, to cancer when he was 14 years old. The No. 5 jersey he wears currently is a tribute to them both.

Luca bracelet latest

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More than a year later, Wolves fans have received the update they hoped for – now 7-year-old Luca has beaten his cancer.

What’s next:

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Ant has since responded to the news with his own social media video, calling it “God’s gift” and saying, “Let’s do this Luca.”

No word yet on whether he intends to keep wearing the bracelet, though he’s previously said he has a stash of replacements near the team bench should one ever be broken.

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The Source: Information provided by the Minnesota Timberwolves public relations department.

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Family of Minneapolis brothers killed by cousin says their deaths were preventable:

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Family of Minneapolis brothers killed by cousin says their deaths were preventable:


A Minneapolis family is struggling to make sense of a tragedy that has left them heartbroken. 

Family tells WCCO 14-year-old Xavier Barnett and 23-year-old Akwame Stewart were killed Monday.

The brothers were very different, but equally loved. Barnett was a good student and athlete. Stewart was a painter, creative and thoughtful. Two brothers, loved and full of promise, gone. 

Police say the accused shooter is their cousin, 23-year-old Eddie Duncan.

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Court records show Duncan was released on bail Monday on charges of fleeing law enforcement and possession of a gun modified with an “auto sear switch.”

Court records also show Duncan was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, but not until next month, on March 24.

Deasia Freeman, Barnett and Stewart’s sister, says this loss could have been prevented. 

“They all failed us. We got two innocent lives gone for no reason. Didn’t do nothing to nobody,” Freeman said.

Family members say the system and Duncan’s family let them down.

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Freeman says Duncan’s family saw the warning signs and still bailed him out

“If you knew this man was thinking like this, y’all should have kept him in there and he should not even have bail,” she said. 

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says they noted Duncan was a public safety risk and asked for a high bail, much higher than a typical request. 

“In Minnesota, there is a constitutional right to bail, and the bail amount is set by the Court. Our office noted a public safety risk with Mr. Duncan and asked the judge to set bail at $70,000, or $35,000 with conditions; both of which are higher than we would typically request in this scenario. The judge set bail in that amount. Mr. Duncan posted $35,000 bail with conditions of release, as is allowed under the Minnesota Constitution, and was released from custody. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by yesterday’s violence. This was a terrible tragedy for this family and our community,” a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.

For Freeman and her family, the hardest part isn’t just the legal process but living each day without their brothers. 

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Even in the heartbreak, she says the memories of the good days, the laughter and love they shared will carry them through.

“I wish I could get just one more phone call from them asking me where I’m at,” Freeman said as tears rolled down her face. 

Court records confirm Duncan left the scene of the crime and fled to nearby Brooklyn Center. There, a search warrant says Duncan “fired a gun at officers, striking two squads,” when police arrived. That’s when officers returned fire, shooting and killing him.

Three officers have been placed on critical incident leave as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension leads the investigation into Duncan’s fatal shooting.

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