Still a lot of questions following an federal raid, including the presence of ICE, at a St Paul business on Tuesday.
St. Paul City Council woman Molly Coleman got word of suspicous activity about 8:00 Tuesday morning with neighbors reporting federal agents were gathering in a park in the 4th Ward, which she represents.
She says they went into action, trying to find answers.
"We confirmed that this was again multiple law enforcement agencies, that ICE was in fact on the scene despite having information having been provided earlier in the day that ICE was not present," says Coleman.
She says they are working with families that have loved ones who were taken into custody.
"We are doing everything we can to get the answers from the federal government about who they've detained, why they've detained them, how many individuals were detained, and what is happening now," Coleman added.
She says that dealing with the federal government is extremely frustrating.
According to a statement from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, agents went to the BroTex building to serve a search warrant, adding there was no threat to public safety."
However, dozens of protesters showed up to confront the agents, some of which were sprayed with tear gas.
When the government engages in operations like this, they are doing so under an intentional cloak of secrecy, under an intentional lack of information sharing," says Coleman. "It is part of a campaign to cause fear and alarm in a community."
Wednesday morning, some gathered for what they were calling a vigil and rally in St. Paul.
Hundreds of activists gathered and demanded answers following the raid which ICE claimed was part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
St. Paul Mayor-elect Kaohly Her was there and said the operation went beyond what is necessary.
"Everyone deserves to feel safe where they live, and there are real national security threats that the federal administration is responsible for addressing," says Her. "But flooding our neighborhoods with ICE and other federal agents only heightens tensions on the ground rather than calming it."
Marco Hernandez, outreach coordinator for the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, said on the scene Wednesday that they are monitoring the situation as well.
"We have people, and people will always rise, and the Attorney General's office will do everything in its power to stand up for the Constitution, due process, and for the people of Minnesota," says Hernandez.
Despite ICE officials confirming the operation was part of a federal criminal investigation, no other details about who was detained have been released.
"I want you all to know that I am standing with you not as somebody who is in government but as somebody who is from an impacted community," Her explained. "Who has watched people from my own community who are American citizens get detained by ICE. And held for days until they could prove that they were American citizens."
"In our communities we we deserve safety, dignity, and the freedom to work and live and breathe without fear, and we will not back down," added St. Paul City Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim. "Our immigrant communities need brave and swift policy change. They need every single person to engage in activism, get trained, and activate a friend."