- Oct 17, 2011
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Like many people in the Twin Cities, Jess has been observing ICE officers: following them in her car and documenting their actions.
"We followed at a distance. We never got in front of them. We never honked our horns. We never made any sort of noise. We were just keeping an eye on them," said Jess...
But then the three vehicles she was following turned around and drove toward her. Federal agents hopped out.
"They all had their guns drawn. I kept saying, 'What you're doing is illegal. You have no right to do this,'" she said. "At that point, they started breaking my window. All I could think about was not being shot."
She was detained for about eight hours.
It is legal to observe and record officers and shout, whistle or honk at them. Following them in a car at a safe distance is also legal, [ACLU lawyer] Kim told NPR.
Beyond the initial arrests, the federal government is so far having more of a challenge in prosecuting the cases it has brought against observers during its immigration crackdowns.
[Examples of no charges or dropped charges.]
[But it's not very challenging to break windows and detain people.]
"They're resorting to gross intimidation," said Will Stancil, a civil rights lawyer based in Minneapolis, who has also been told he is impeding investigations while following immigration agents around.
Stancil has been public about following immigration officers, but he understands why others might feel intimidated. He has had officers lead him back to his own home twice.
"We followed at a distance. We never got in front of them. We never honked our horns. We never made any sort of noise. We were just keeping an eye on them," said Jess...
But then the three vehicles she was following turned around and drove toward her. Federal agents hopped out.
"They all had their guns drawn. I kept saying, 'What you're doing is illegal. You have no right to do this,'" she said. "At that point, they started breaking my window. All I could think about was not being shot."
She was detained for about eight hours.
It is legal to observe and record officers and shout, whistle or honk at them. Following them in a car at a safe distance is also legal, [ACLU lawyer] Kim told NPR.
Beyond the initial arrests, the federal government is so far having more of a challenge in prosecuting the cases it has brought against observers during its immigration crackdowns.
[Examples of no charges or dropped charges.]
[But it's not very challenging to break windows and detain people.]
"They're resorting to gross intimidation," said Will Stancil, a civil rights lawyer based in Minneapolis, who has also been told he is impeding investigations while following immigration agents around.
Stancil has been public about following immigration officers, but he understands why others might feel intimidated. He has had officers lead him back to his own home twice.
