County Board hears ICE ordinance proposal

It’s been just over two months since agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived in force in Minnesota — and in Dodge County.
While this region of the state didn’t draw the international headlines and national media coverage that came out of the Twin Cities, it wasn’t without issues.
That troubled Mike Sinner, who knows a thing or two about how members of law enforcement — any law enforcement — should act.
Earlier this month, he told the DCI what he believed could be done, and Tuesday night, he told the Dodge County Board of Commissioners.
Sinner reminded board members of the specific tasks and core values assigned to agents of ICE and the Customs and Border Protection, and shared excerpts from the Department of Homeland Security’s own Use of Force policy.
Sprinkled throughout are words like honor, integrity, service, collaboration, respect for human life, and, perhaps most notably: de-escalation.
“With this information to guide us, we can see that in many instances ICE and CBP are not acting truthfully, lawfully, ethically or within the boundaries of their own written policy and procedure,” Sinner said.
He was there to ask Dodge County to adopt an ordinance holding those agents to the documents they are sworn to uphold.
“We are hopeful that the Dodge County Board of Commissioners will agree that this is an opportunity to rebuild some of that trust,” Sinner said. “And we have confidence that the adoption of this proposed ordinance would send a message, demonstrating local commitment to stopping and repairing the damage done by ICE and CBP.”
Additionally, he said, “they routinely fail to act collaboratively with local law enforcement,” though that seems to have blurred somewhat after a February incident with a Dodge County resident.
ICE officers drove to her former residence, then to the Dodge County Courthouse in Mantorville, where they spoke to an on-duty deputy.
Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose later told the DCI they were just there to use the bathroom, and said there was no other information to share.
Commissioners Rod Peterson said after Sinner’s remarks that he, too, was “flabbergasted at the atrocities that ICE did, and I understand that we have laws, we have rules, and we want to uphold those laws and rules, and within the Constitution, do things that are right.”
That being said, he asked Sinner, “What do you think this ordinance would do?”
“I just think that if we put this ordinance in place, and (agents) come into the county … the sheriff says, ‘This is an ordinance that we expect you to abide by.’ I don’t think there’s anything in (the proposal) that is untoward or asking too much,” Sinner said.
“It certainly is nothing more than we ask of the officers that we have who are our police and our sheriff’s deputies,” he continued. “We’re not trying to impede their operations.”
A full uniform should be the norm, Sinner said.
“If someone tried to stop me, and they were not dressed in a uniform that specified (the agency), they might have a hard time with me, because I know my rights,” he said. “Why would a law enforcement officer be dressed in camo or dressed in jeans?”
Peterson said the lack of coordination “really just astounds me; how do you expect to do good law enforcement if you’re not connecting with the local sheriff?”
Commissioner Tim Tjosaas said he agreed with Peterson.
Dave Kenworthy, chairman of the board, said Sinner was using information “that the media is willing to present to us, and (is) not a complete story, so I caution on some of that information and the editing of that.
“I personally haven’t witnessed any of the events, so I can’t, honestly, confirm or deny anything that’s happened in our state,” Kenworthy said. “I have to assume that some of what’s presented is real and true.”
He agreed that “some of the actions that ICE has performed are inappropriate and should not have happened in that way.”
When Sinner asked about the next step, Kenworthy said they would defer to Rose when enacting any ordinances about law enforcement.
He called Peterson’s comments “politically biased or politically motivated, and that any formal decisions should be taken up with the sheriff, who is our elected official. It should pass through him to come back to us.”
Sinner told Kenworthy he had given the proposal and letters of support to Rose “and asked for him to get back to me, and he has not. I stopped in twice,” and was told Rose was not in the office.
“That is our professional, the person you guys elected to represent yourselves in law enforcement,” Kenworthy said, indicating Sinner’s supporters in the audience.
“You guys are elected as well, though,” Sinner replied. “Is this something you think is not appropriate to take up? I mean, you’re considering an ordinance — the sheriff can’t make an ordinance.”
He would have to be the one to bring the ordinance forward, Kenworthy repeated, supported by Tjosaas.
Rose was not present at the meeting.
Sinner spoke outside of the board room after his presentation.
“This is not where I end with this,” he told the dozen or so supporters who had attended the meeting.
His next goal, he said, is to ask for action at the state level that would prohibit armed federal officials from being within a mile of a polling place during voting.
“I’m not done with this thing, either,” Sinner said. “I will make contact with the sheriff as soon as I can, see where we can go with that, see if he is interested in endorsing this.”