Prosecutors say a man who exited a St. Paul home targeted in an immigration raid rammed a car into agent’s van while trying to flee the scene, which eventually drew hundreds of protesters who clashed with police and federal agents.
Jeffrey Lopez-Suazo, 26, of St. Paul appeared in U.S. District Court last week on a charge of assaulting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Nov. 25 in the 600 block of Rose Avenue E.
Lopez-Suazo was arrested that day, then released Dec. 3 on his own recognizance ahead of a hearing on Dec. 22. The Minnesota Star Tribune has reached out to his attorney for a response to the allegations.
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE arrested Victor Molina Rodriguez, whom the agency described as a Honduran national previously removed from the U.S. and accused of re-entering illegally. ICE said Molina Rodriguez has domestic abuse and disorderly conduct offenses on his record.
City leaders have been pressed for answers about why police officers were on the scene — and why force was used — despite repeated assurances that the department would not participate in federal immigration actions.
Police Chief Axel Henry explained that along with federal agents reporting the vehicle being struck, the perimeter around the home that was the scene of the raid “was pulled down by people who were protesting.”
The chief said additional officers were called after word that some protesters were “arming themselves with rocks and sticks.” He said police were not participating in immigration enforcement but strictly enforcing local laws.
According to the criminal complaint against Lopez-Suazo:
