St. Paul City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance that bans face coverings worn by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and other federal agents.
In fact, the ordinance states that all law enforcement, whether federal or local, must show their faces on the job in St. Paul.
The council approved other ordinances banning ICE from staging on city-owned property, and requiring all law enforcement working in the city to wear ID badges or name tags.
Minneapolis has not passed a similar measure, but DFL lawmakers in the Minnesota House and Senate are proposing legislation that would make it a misdemeanor for law enforcement officers to wear masks while on duty.
“These are easy policies to understand and get behind,” DFL State Rep. Leah Finke said. “We should be able to go into the House and get not just the one vote we need to pass them, but countless Republican votes to support these.”
That will face pushback from Republicans in both houses, who says there is little the state can do to regular federal operations.
But, House DFL Caucus Leader Zack Stephenson (DFL) sees the proposals as having the potential for bipartisan support.
“We’re certainly going to give every Republican every opportunity to demonstrate that their values are consistent with Minnesotans and not Donald Trump,” he said. “I think we’re seeing not just in Minnesota, but around the country, that this is the age of states asserting themselves. … If we’re not going to fight for this, what are we doing here?”
There are 11 bills already propsed that would regulate federal activity in the state, including keeping ICE agents out of certain areas, and requiring cooperation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in investigations of all Minnesota shootings involving law enforcement or federal agents.