ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 13 (UPI) -- The besieged city of St. Paul, Minn., has joined a growing list of state and local jurisdictions around the country seeking to prevent federal immigration enforcement agents from wearing masks while carrying out aggressive sweeps and arrests, even though the legality of such bans remain in question.
Just before the Trump administration's announcement Thursday of an imminent end to the massive and deadly Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, residents in the capital city of St. Paul emotionally testified in favor of a proposed new ordinance that would prohibit the use of masks by all law enforcement officers, including federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The testimony came as Democratic city leaders, including St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and all seven council members, sought to join a growing list of at least 17 states, as well as local jurisdictions such as Los Angeles County, Denver and Portland, Ore., in introducing legislation banning law enforcement agents from wearing masks -- even though those bans are already facing legal challenges from President Donald Trump's Department of Justice.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate, who have characterized ICE as an "out-of-control paramilitary force," are also demanding that its agents stop wearing masks -- among other key reforms -- as a price for continuing to fund the Department of Homeland Security and avoid a partial government shutdown.
