Minneapolis Metro Transit Police have launched an investigation after a trumped-up transit officer—who has yet to be publicly identified—was filmed asking a passenger if he was “here illegally.” As a sanctuary city, Minneapolis “city employees, including police, are prohibited from asking about the immigration status of someone unless it’s directly relevant to a crime being investigated.” You’d think a citation and fine would be the usual route here, until the part-time officer took it upon himself to become an ICE agent and begin badgering the man about his legal status. Ricardo Morales, a fellow passenger who eventually stepped in to remind the officer about his job description, was there to film the incident:
According to Morales, two Metro transit police officers entered the train and asked passengers for proof they had paid the train fare. One young man “didn’t have a satisfactory answer” for the officer, Morales told the Star Tribune. That’s when Morales started recording.
The video posted on Facebook on May 20 has over 1 million views. In the clip, the officer asks the man, “Do you have a state ID?” The man appears to shake his head no.
“Are you here illegally?” the officer asks next.
Morales then intervenes and asks the officer, “Are you guys authorized to act as immigration police?”
“No, not necessarily,” the officer says.
Morales tells the officer, “Then I would stay out of that. It’s very touchy legal territory.”
The officer nonchalantly shrugs and says, “Okay.”
One point for Morales and zero for Officer Shrugs-a-Lot, because the latter’s “not necessarily” claim was ultimately debunked by Minneapolis Metro Transit Police’s own chief, who said in a statement following the Facebook video going viral that “it is not the practice of the Metro Transit police to inquire about the immigration status of our riders.” Metro Transit Police Chief John Harrington added that he “immediately called for an Internal Affairs investigation to gather the details about this incident and to report back to me as quickly as possible.”
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Minneapolis Metro does have DHS officers who are “part of a Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) team working with its police force to help ensure security on public trains and buses,” but also noted that VIPR officers “do not engage in enforcement actions.” It’s part of the reason why Morales is glad to see the video being shared:
“That was my hope. I wanted to make sure it was visible to people who would put pressure on Metro Transit,” he said.
“You can say we’re a sanctuary city, and it’s a nice phrase, but it only has meaning if it actually affects people’s behavior.”
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 · 9:34:09 PM +00:00 · Gabe Ortiz
The Metropolitan Council, which oversees the Metro Transit Police Department, sent a correction regarding the Washington Post’s story. While the incident did occur in the city of Minneapolis, Metro Transit Police is not a Minneapolis force but a regional police force overseen by the Metropolitan Council, which is the body investigating the incident. Additionally, it also means that the transit officer is not a Minneapolis city employee.