Body camera footage, official reports and details about chemical irritants and smoke used by St. Paul police during a clash with anti-ICE protesters late last year will not be released until an external investigation is complete.
The St. Paul Police Department has faced intense scrutiny in the city for their actions at the raid and protest on Nov. 25, which saw St. Paul police officers firing pepper balls and other less-lethal munitions at protesters and journalists.
Chemical irritants filled the air on a residential street on the city’s East Side that day, just as the federal immigration enforcement surge began.
Residents and activists have demanded that someone be held to account for the melee, which has caused some to doubt the city’s commitment to a separation ordinance meant to limit police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The St. Paul Police Department recently denied Data Practices Act requests from the Minnesota Star Tribune and from Communities United Against Police Brutality. The department cited an ongoing investigation into officers’ response to protesters at the site of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on Rose Avenue.
The Star Tribune’s requests sought written reports and body camera footage of the incident, while CUAPB requested details of the chemicals St. Paul police used.
Police Chief Axel Henry has said police came to the scene of the raid because of reports of rocks and sticks being thrown at federal agents. City police deployed smoke and other chemical irritants to clear the scene.
Henry and former Mayor Melvin Carter defended the police response but, for activists, the chaotic scene felt like a breach of trust. The police response has been the subject of several public hearings and neighborhood meetings.
