ICE put themselves, others at risk during south Minneapolis operation, former agent says
During an ICE operation on Monday, WCCO's cameras caught the stunning moment that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent dragged a woman along the ground by her arm, with her wrist seemingly attached to that of the federal officer's by a restraint.
At WCCO's request, Eric Balliet reviewed the footage. He spent 25 years with the agency now known as ICE, serving as a special agent who would go on to lead the ICE equivalent of internal affairs.
"I've arrested dozens upon dozens of human traffickers, human smugglers, child molesters, you name it. I've never dragged a suspect one-handed across a street," Balliet said.
According to ICE, agents found themselves in what they are calling a "riot" in south Minneapolis after pulling over a car with two people facing immigration charges. Officers allege in court documents that a woman attempted to vandalize ICE vehicles with spray paint — the crowd began forming as ICE attempted to detain her.
WCCO's cameras arrived with two officers surrounded by protesters; one of them was waving around a weapon that deploys chemical spray. The other was kneeling on top of the woman, his wrist attached to hers with the restraint, using his other arm to wave around a Taser. Both of the officers fired their respective weapons; after using his Taser, that officer taunted the crowd, asking "who wants more?"
It was after this incident that the woman got up and tried to run. She was then dragged across the floor by the agent with the Taser before he detached from her; some in the crowd threw snowballs while his partner fired chemical spray in return.
Balliet said that these use-of-force tactics should be under review. He said that the agents appeared overwhelmed, highlighting what to him seemed to be poor operational planning and execution.
Balliet said that too often he sees agents unable to safely handle situations that they should never have put themselves in in the first place.
"There seems to be either a blatant disregard for training or a lack thereof, either of which is troubling and puts the agents and the general public at risk," Balliet said.
In a lengthy statement released on Thursday, an unnamed ICE spokesperson said that officers are showing restraint against "rioters." ICE did not respond to WCCO's questions about whether dragging someone along the floor by a restraint or verbally taunting a crowd of protesters is standard protocol. The agency also failed to say if any of the agents involved on Monday face internal discipline.
"ICE and CBP are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and themselves. Our officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training," the statement reads in part.
In an interview with 60 Minutes in October, President Trump endorsed ICE agents using force in residential neighborhoods in cities throughout the country. This came after an incident in Illinois where cell phone video showed federal agents standing several stories above protesters and shooting less-than-lethal munitions towards their heads and torsos.
Protesters and media organizations in Chicago filed a complaint in federal court about tactics in the Chicago area as well as those captured on video recordings in Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles and other cities. In early November, U.S. District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis issued an order blocking federal agents from deploying chemical spray, tear gas or any other less-lethal weapon "unless such force is necessary to stop the immediate threat of physical harm to another."
The Trump administration has filed an appeal.
On Monday, ICE confirmed the arrest of four people. WCCO learned that the two people detained on immigration charges are an Ecuadorian couple in their early 20s; agents shattered their car window before detaining the pair. The other two arrested are U.S. citizens who ICE alleges assaulted officers; however, WCCO could only find evidence that one of the men is actually facing criminal charges.
According to ICE, a man named Noor Abdikadir is still in custody for assaulting an officer. WCCO could not find any publicly available information regarding any kind of charges; ICE is ignoring clarifying questions about his whereabouts and alleged crimes.
A man with a very similar name, Abdikadir Noor, is among six people who are suing ICE for civil rights violations with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. In the lawsuit, the Somali-American said that ICE tackled him during Monday's operation without provocation, leaving him with injuries. He stated that he was among the first on scene, driving to the nearby Karmel Mall when he noticed ICE pull over the car behind him. He said that once the crowd began to form he tried to keep the peace.
Noor said that once he was released from the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, where ICE operates from, he was given no documentation or explanation for why he was arrested in the first place.
While ICE failed to identify whether they have a different man still in custody, WCCO could identify documentation for the other man, Maxwell Collyard. In a complaint written by HSI Special Agent Michael Raiff, agents accuse Collyard of being part of the "mob" throwing ice, snow, rocks and other objects following Monday's vehicle stop.
Collyard allegedly repeatedly ignored commands from ICE officers to back up and instead threatened officers on scene.
At one point, an officer sprayed Collyard with "oleoresin capsicum" spray, a chemical agent. After this, the complaint alleges that Collyard and others tackled one of the officers while they were attempting to detain the woman seen pinned on the floor. From here, the complaint states that Collyard followed the agents involved away from the scene in his pickup truck; this is where officers arrested him. According to court records, he's now under house arrest.
In audio released by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, a supervisor with the ICE operation based in St. Paul called for help from local law enforcement. Deputies with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and officers with the Minneapolis Police Department responded, only to find no evidence that agents were in life-threatening danger.
Balliet said from what he saw, there is evidence that ICE agents are deploying to cities like Minneapolis without being properly equipped to handle the public backlash.
"I feel like it falls on the lack of leadership, the lack of accountability, poor training, poor operational planning, poor execution," Balliet said.