Connect with us

Minnesota

Crow Wing County sheriff addresses 2 agreements made with ICE

Published

on

Crow Wing County sheriff addresses 2 agreements made with ICE


Federal officials are calling on counties to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

Several sheriff’s offices in Minnesota have what’s called a 287(g) agreement with the agency. The agreement can be controversial. Different models allow departments to help enforce ICE operations and to serve warrants on people inside their jails. Crow Wing County has both. 

The county also houses detainees for ICE. Sheriff Eric Klang agreed to allow WCCO into the jail to talk about the agreements.

“We have the 287(g), the warrant model,” Klang said.

Advertisement

Klang signed two agreements with ICE last year.  

“When I signed that thing back in March, that was really about operational efficiency, meaning that if we had arrested somebody, or we had a detainee here, we couldn’t serve them the detainee paperwork. So I said, ‘Hey, why can’t we serve it? What’s the big deal?’” Klang said.

So far, it hasn’t been used. The other agreement is a task force model allowing deputies to help enforce ICE operations. Seven deputies went through online training.

“I’ve been in law enforcement for 30 years, and I’ve always supported our local, state and federal partners. And I wasn’t going to change because of political winds or because of the emotionally charged, you know, commotion going on around the country. I mean, that’s just not me. I’m gonna, I’m staying steady on that,” Klang said.

Mayerle asked what the task force model looks like.

Advertisement

“If you have a felony warrant against you and you’re a target of an ICE operation, you can bet that we’re going to be a part of that. But if you are just here simply because you cross the border, we are not going out with ICE going after people like that,” Klang said.

He says they were called in to assist on what he calls a targeted arrest for the first time last week. 

It was at El Potro restaurant in Brainerd, Minnesota.

“Was basically just standing by and taking a perimeter and transporting of individuals to our, to the jail, which they immediately took and they brought them to Duluth, to the federal detention facility,” Klang said.

He said the people ICE was targeting had a criminal record.

Advertisement

“They had criminal records, and there just happened to be a couple of them that ended up, as far as I know, have just crossed the border, so civil penalty, and they got scooped up in that arrest that we did as well,” Klang said.

The restaurant is now closed, with signs of support on the outside.    

Klang says that only more recently has he started getting hate mail over the ICE agreements. 

“I would say the majority of the population supports what we’re doing here in Brainerd. There are a few that are, you know, aren’t happy with me cooperating, collaborating with our federal partners,” Klang said.

Klang told us he thinks more departments should cooperate with the feds. He says he doesn’t like to see how the agents are being treated in the Twin Cities. And feels if locals were standing alongside them, some of the treatment of community members could also have been avoided. 

Advertisement

“Who knows the community better than the local law enforcement? A lot of these guys just got deployed here. They didn’t get a chance to finish their field training. I mean, they got 40 hours in the classroom. They don’t know anything about the mobile field force. And then you compound that by people yelling, screaming, throwing stuff at them. I mean, you know, it’s no wonder they don’t know that they’re acting out. Not typical that we would act out or respond by somebody doing that. So if we were standing alongside him, we could say, ‘Hey, no, no, we don’t do that here. We can’t do that. No, you don’t. You don’t. You don’t, you know, flip them back off because they’re flipping you off.’ You know, we can’t just randomly stop a car, you know, we could. We could be helping them and we wouldn’t be in this situation, this crisis that we’re in now,” Klang said.

The Department of Homeland Security responded to WCCO’s request about the January arrests:

“On Jan. 26, ICE agents in Brainerd, Minn., executed judicial criminal arrest warrants for Jose Baraja Farias and Javier Francisco Montoya-Barboza, both illegal aliens wanted on federal immigration charges. Montoya is a criminal illegal alien with a conviction for driving under the influence. Illegal aliens have killed and maimed far too many Americans while doing just that. Baraja is an illegal Mexican national who was previously removed from the United States in 2007 and subsequently reentered the country without authorization, a felony, in 2010. Two additional illegal aliens, Alberto Core Vidal Neri from Mexico and Nilo Fernando Piruch Tsenkus from Ecuador, were also arrested for unlawful presence in the United States. Both Baraja and Montoya were transported to Douglas County for judicial proceedings, while the others are pending removal proceedings. ICE will continue its efforts to uphold immigration laws and ensure community safety. Those who are in our country illegally have a choice—they can leave the country voluntarily or be arrested and deported. The United States taxpayer is generously offering free flights and a $2,600 to illegal aliens who self-deport using the CBP Home app. If they leave now, they preserve the potential opportunity to come back the legal, right way. The choice is theirs.”



Source link

Minnesota

Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade

Published

on

Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade


Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.

Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.

Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.

Advertisement

Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.

Advertisement

Sept 11, 2006; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver (82) Troy Williamson is unable to make the catch against the Washington Redskins in the first quarter at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images Copyright © James Lang | James Lang-Imagn Images

Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.

Advertisement

Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.

Advertisement

The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.

By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.

James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.

Add us as a preferred source on Google



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Minnesota

Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com

Published

on

Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com


Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.

“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good. 

“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”

Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.

Advertisement

“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes. 

“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”

Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).

“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”

Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.

Advertisement

“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Minnesota

ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors

Published

on

ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors



Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.

play

Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.

On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.

Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Advertisement

The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.

Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.

“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.

Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.

Advertisement

The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.

Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.

Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police. 

State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.

Advertisement

The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.

On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending