The St. Cloud City Council on Monday night rejected a resolution that would have affirmed the council’s support for law enforcement and the rule of law.
Council member Scott Brodeen originally brought up the resolution in January. At that time, St. Cloud was experiencing a surge of federal immigration enforcement targeting the city’s Somali American residents.
Brodeen asked that consideration of his resolution be delayed until March, saying at the January meeting that it wasn’t the right time to discuss it. The council instead passed a separate resolution reaffirming that the city is a “just and welcoming community” to all residents.
On Monday, Brodeen brought the proposal back to the council. After a lengthy discussion, the resolution failed on a 5 to 1 vote, with only Brodeen supporting it.
The resolution stated that the rule of law is a foundational principle of the U.S., and “no one is above the law.” It stated that law enforcement is a “core governmental function that exists to uphold the rule of law, protect public safety and preserve civil order” within legal boundaries.
It also stated that public safety and civil order “are best maintained when law enforcement operates lawfully and consistently, fostering trust, cooperation and confidence between governmental institutions and the public.”
Several council members questioned the intent and timing of Brodeen’s resolution. St. Cloud saw a large U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in recent months, including a confrontation between hundreds of residents and ICE agents on Jan. 12 at a Somali mall.
Some St. Cloud residents have spoken out about being targeted and detained by ICE, even though they are U.S. citizens or have permanent legal status. Some immigrant-owned businesses have struggled to stay open as customers and employees were afraid to leave their homes.
Council member Dave Masters said the issue is “all about timing.” Masters said he believes the rule of law is important to have a civil society, and he supports local law enforcement. But he said he doesn’t want to support ICE agents after seeing what happened in St. Cloud.
“When you use the word all law enforcement, that triggers that traumatic situation with the ICE agents,” Masters said. “So for that reason, I cannot support this, because of the fact that we just went through this traumatic time in the city. And this is not something that we need to open that wound up and then re-deal with it.”
Council member Hudda Ibrahim said Brodeen’s resolution doesn’t address people who felt they were racially profiled and targeted by immigration agents. Ibrahim held up her passport and said she carries it every day, although she’s a U.S. citizen.
"It centers institutions, not people,” she said of the proposed resolution. “It tells immigrants, refugees, American citizens like me — and minority communities — that their concerns are not valid.”
Ibrahim also said that public safety “depends on trust.” When families are afraid of being targeted, they don’t report crimes, she said.
“They withdrew because of fear, and that makes our entire city less safe,” Ibrahim said.
Brodeen said his resolution did not name any specific law enforcement agencies, but was meant to express the city’s “mentality” toward law enforcement and public safety. He said he wanted St. Cloud to avoid the clashes between protesters and ICE agents that were happening in the Twin Cities.
“It was brought to hopefully avoid there being widespread disorder, like I think we would agree that was happening in Minneapolis,” Brodeen said. “So the point was, ‘Boy, we don't need that to come up here for us.’”
About 80 people attended Monday’s meeting, with some holding signs indicating opposition to the resolution. Afterward, Kali Berg of St. Cloud said she was glad it was defeated, calling it an ill-timed and “pretty transparent” attempt to support federal immigration enforcement, which is outside the scope of the city council.
“We have a rule of law in this country already. We have a Constitution for a reason. We have laws for a reason. We have police officers that are already doing their jobs here,” Berg said. “Resolutions like this just truly waste everybody’s time.”
