On Monday, Jan. 26, Rep. Lucy Rehm gave a visitor presentation at Chanhassen’s City Council meeting, calling on the council to take action in response to Operation Metro Surge, which she argued continues to harm local businesses, schools and community relationships with local law enforcement. She did not file a Citizen Action Request but is considering bringing forward a resolution that the council could adopt at a future meeting.

“As a former City Council member,” Rehm said, “I realize the limits of what the city can do. But doing nothing is no longer acceptable. I ask that this City Council and our law enforcement work to protect our citizens, our schools, and our businesses.”

Mayor Elise Ryan declined to comment on Rehm’s visitor presentation.

“I continue to work with other local mayors and Congressman Emmer and his team on the issues and concerns related to the Federal immigration enforcement,” Ryan said in an email.

Rehm serves in the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 48B, which includes Chanhassen and some precincts in Chaska. She served on the Chanhassen City Council from 2021 to 2022 and previously served on Chanhassen’s Environmental Commission.

“I have spoken to local business owners,” Rehm said before the council, “who have employees who are afraid to come to work, whose families are afraid that merely driving through the metro area may put them at risk of being forcibly removed from their vehicle and detained just because of the way they look. I have heard of parents who are afraid to send their kids to school; children who are afraid of attending school, fearing for their parents’ safety; moms physically carrying their children from the school bus to their home, fearing that ICE agents will somehow abduct them. I’ve heard of teachers being asked to sign paperwork, DOPA (delegation of parental authority) paperwork, in the event that a parent is abducted and their children are left without any parents to care for them.

“… If this federal operation were about fraud, we would expect to see an increase of accountants—not masked men and women dressed in tactical gear roaming our highways, moving around our city. If this were about apprehending violent criminals, we would see judicial warrants. We would see transparency. We would see warrants signed by a judge—not random abductions and kidnappings on the highway and at bus stops and at our immigration courts.”

Rehm’s visitor presentation was followed by another visitor presentation from Nora Nashawaty, who currently serves on Chanhassen’s Park & Recreation Commission. Her presentation largely followed up on a visitor presentation she had given at City Council’s previous meeting, responding to feedback she had received from the council.

“We don’t feel safe here. And we’re not hearing enough from you,” Nashawaty said.

On Jan. 12 Nashawaty asked the City Council to consider three actions: a resolution condemning misconduct by immigration officers, action to limit cooperation with immigration enforcement officers and the establishment of a human rights commission to investigate civil and human rights abuses and identify important social issues in the community.

Nashawaty said that a resolution condemning misconduct by immigration officers would send an important message to constituents.

“This is symbolic,” Nashawaty said in her presentation. “It’s an important message to our constituents that we value due process here with regards to rights, especially when it comes to the constitutional amendments that protect the citizens and the federal and case law that protect everyone.”

Nashawaty’s Jan. 26 visitor presentation referenced Crystal and Northfield as cities that have demonstrated similar actions.

The Crystal City Council adopted a resolution on Jan. 20 that included a preamble clause stating that “all those living and visiting Crystal, regardless of their national origin or physical characteristics, have the right to feel safe, not be discriminated against, and to live without the threat of violence or harassment…”.

According to a post on the City of Northfield Facebook page, at the beginning of Northfield’s City Council meeting on Jan. 20, Mayor Erica Zweifel read a statement calling on federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota to “uphold constitutional protections, honor due process, pursue de-escalation, and respect free speech and the right to peaceful protest.”

Chanhassen Councilmember Mark Von Oven, who has served on the council since 2023 and earlier this year announced his candidacy for State Senate, has previously raised the issue of immigration enforcement with the council. On Dec. 15, Von Oven gave a council presentation about the Dec. 13 ICE operation in Chanhassen that left two men stranded on a construction site roof in freezing temperatures.

In his council presentation, Von Oven listed actions that he would consider raising in the future with the council, including to affirm commitment to a diverse community; to require clear identification from law enforcement personnel and the ability to articulate their legal authority; to affirm that all persons have constitutional rights to privacy, due process and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure; and to support and clarify the role of the Carver County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

According to Von Oven, he has since proposed a resolution that he believed would have provided clarity to Chanhassen’s residents but did not receive support from other council members. He says the council has, however, established a willingness to amplify educational materials from CCSO.

“The resolution itself didn’t have support from my fellow council members,” Von Oven said in a video post on Facebook, “and I respect their perspective. There’s genuine concern about appearing partisan on what’s become a politically charged issue. But here’s what matters: There is willingness to amplify educational materials from the Carver County Sheriff’s Department that clarify their role. Specifically, that our local deputies do not assist in ICE enforcement operations.”

Carver County Sheriff Jason Kamerud confirmed that CCSO is developing educational materials for residents.

“We are in the process of developing an educational campaign (of sorts) to provide accurate, relevant, local information,” Kamerud said in an email. “It will contain a ‘Know Your Rights’ portion and offer some insights about the local vs. federal operations, authorities, etc.”

After Von Oven’s council presentation on Dec. 15, Mayor Ryan made a statement on the nonpartisan commitment of her office and City Council.

“I swore to this commitment seven years ago,” Ryan said. “It guides my service today, and it will continue to do so moving forward. I was elected to serve all residents of Chanhassen. Anything less would erode the public trust. So partisan actions, especially on topics that have no oversight, have no place in these council chambers. I will not participate in commentary or actions that undermine this fundamental commitment or the sworn oath I have taken.”

Ryan’s latest Message from the Mayor post, from Jan. 16, appears to address more recent escalations in immigration enforcement operations and growing public concern.

“I cannot ignore what is happening across Minnesota,” Ryan said in the post. “It is difficult and deeply concerning to see our state facing such challenging circumstances. … I want to assure our residents that I am in frequent communication with elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as with law enforcement, sharing the experiences, requests and concerns I am hearing.”

Von Oven said he believes that there is a path City Council can take that separates partisan issues from issues that involve community values and human dignity and that his fellow council members are also committed to this progress.

“People want to know that their leaders care,” Von Oven said in an interview. “I think, at the core of all of this, our residents want to know that their leadership is not sitting in silence and being complicit with what’s happening. And I do not believe that to be the case of my fellow council members. But this is a really tricky situation for anyone involved. We ought to be able to express our commitment to community safety and human dignity and transparency without falling down the partisan rathole. But it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Rep. Rehm’s visitor presentation also argued that Operation Metro Surge has hurt communities’ relationships with local law enforcement—relationships she said have been rebuilding ever since the killing of George Floyd.

“Since the killing of George Floyd,” Rehm said in her visitor presentation, “our sheriff and our law enforcement has been building relationships with our communities. At the State Capitol, we have passed legislation to fund additional training for our law enforcement. The actions of many of these masked, poorly trained ICE agents puts all of that at risk.”

In an email, Kamerud said, “I have not had any communication with any constituent asserting they now have diminished trust in their local LE (law enforcement). Plenty have expressed a notable decrease in trust in federal LE, however.”

Kamerud said he believes that residents of Carver County generally understand the distinct roles of federal and local law enforcement.

“Based on discussions with various civic groups and conversations with constituents in my travels, I think people generally understand the different roles of federal and local LE, but the confusion seems to lie in the nuance of the laws. Specifically, there exists a clear misunderstanding about enforcement of criminal laws vs. civil/administrative laws. And there is also clearly misunderstanding about the extent of lawful authority of both federal and local LE,” he said.

Von Oven believes that educational materials from CCSO will help to clarify this separation of duties.

“I have continued to reach out to Sheriff Kamerud with my offer to help to put together educational materials that would give our community the affirmation that our local law enforcement has a separation of duties from federal law enforcement. That is not new. That is real. But I don’t think people know that,” Van Oven said.

Rehm said she plans to advocate for several policies at the state level to address immigration enforcement concerns, including policies to restrict evictions in Minnesota, to allow Minnesota residents to sue federal agents for civil rights violations and to limit collaboration with federal immigration enforcement that would violate civil rights. One bill, according to Rehm, has been drafted that would make it illegal for someone to wear a mask when acting as law enforcement or an ICE agent.

“We need to be able to identify people,” Rehm said in a phone interview. “They need to have a badge or a number so we can identify: Who’s at our door? Who’s stopping us on the highway? That’s just common sense.”

Rehm did not file a Citizen Action Request, and she said that she has not received a response from the city or the sheriff about her visitor presentation. She has, however, received feedback from residents who she thinks appreciated that she stood up for the perspectives that she brought to light in her visitor presentation. She says she is encouraged by that feedback and by the protest on W 78th St. outside Chanhassen City Hall on Jan. 31 that she said drew over 250 protesters.

“The movement right now is very decentralized,” Rehm said, “and I’ve been hearing this over and over again. It’s not that we’re all following one leader here. Everyone is doing what they can in their neighborhoods, their homes. There are so many different ways we can make our communities safer. I’m hoping that people will come forward to future City Council meetings and talk about the impact this is having on their lives.”