St. Paul was at the top of a Trump administration statement on Tuesday accusing sanctuary cities of letting “killers and rapists roam the streets.”
It’s a claim that St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter was quick to debunk.
The memo from the White House outlined three cases where it says ICE detained people allegedly convicted of criminal sexual conduct. The letter linked back to stories about Mayor Melvin Carter, Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul City Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim remaining steadfast in their support of city policies that prevent the city from taking part in ICE enforcement.
Mayor Melvin Carter’s office in a statement responding to the White House statement said St. Paul has continued to fight crime, citing high case closure rates and recent reductions in violent crime.
“President Trump’s rhetoric makes law-abiding neighbors afraid to go to school, attend church, or even call 911. By contrast, our Saint Paul officers solve murder investigations at twice the national rate and have cut violent crime by double digits,” Carter said in the statement. “If the President wants real solutions to avoid a repeat of the record homicide surge America suffered during his first term, we’re happy to help.”
It was to be only a matter of time before St. Paul and Minneapolis would become potential targets after Trump’s Department of Justice targeted policies in Illinois, Chicago and Cook County, Illinois.
St. Paul adopted a separation ordinance in 2004 that said no city employee will ever take on the role of enforcing federal immigration policy or asking the immigration status of any resident in exchange for city services.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has told MinnPost he’s ready to defend Minnesota if it is sued as a “sanctuary” jurisdiction.
“I have no fear of Trump, and his threats have no effect on my determination to protect Minnesota from his authoritarian bullying,” Ellison said. “As attorney general, I swore an oath to uphold the law and Constitution, not an aspiring dictator who admires other dictators.”
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