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Duluth council reviews US Marshals reimbursement agreement for operations targeting noncompliant predatory-offender registrants
Summary
Police and councilors discussed a resolution to accept U.S. Marshals Service reimbursement for overtime tied to a joint operation seeking registered predatory offenders who failed to update registration information; chief said the operation is not immigration enforcement and outlined procedures if undocumented persons are located.
Councilors reviewed a proposed agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service that would reimburse Duluth Police Department overtime for a short-term operation to locate registered predatory offenders who are noncompliant with statutory registration requirements.
Chief Sanoa told the council the operation, carried out by Duluth officers with Marshals reimbursement for overtime, aims to identify noncompliant registrants, secure compliance and, when necessary, move to criminal charges and warrants for those who cannot be located. “This is something that we do annually, with help from the US Marshals Service,” Chief Sanoa said. “This is only for overtime reimbursement. This operation will be being carried out only by Duluth police staff.”
Councilors pressed for clarity on immigration interactions and overtime. Councilor Wall asked whether the operation would involve ICE or immigration enforcement. Chief Sanoa replied: “This is not an immigration enforcement action. It is not being done in conjunction with ICE or US Border Patrol. We have a policy within our police department where we do not work on immigration issues.”
When asked what would happen if officers located an undocumented person during the operation, Sanoa said the department would follow its normal criminal process: create a charging packet, send it to the county attorney’s office, wait for a warrant and make an arrest if a warrant issues. “We don't contact US Border Patrol or immigration when we arrest an undocumented person,” Sanoa said.
Councilor Derwatcher asked about the meaning of “overtime” in this context and whether the operation could avoid overtime costs. Chief Sanoa explained that overtime covers extension of shifts and bringing officers in while off duty; operations such as this often require extra staffing to both conduct the operation and maintain 911 coverage. He said the planned operation would involve about 15 officers, including investigators and patrol staff, and that reimbursement could vary: “All takes time, and we may get up to this 10,000 or we may be well below it,” Sanoa said.
Councilor Mayo asked whether federal-level changes to grants could affect the agreement. Chief Sanoa said he was confident the US Marshals’ role in fugitive apprehension would continue and that past cooperation — including assistance after a downtown homicide — demonstrated the partnership’s reliability.
A councilor asked where the department’s immigration policy can be accessed. Chief Sanoa said the policy is published on the police website (duluthmn.gov/police) under public reports and transparency and identified it as policy 412 on immigration.
No formal vote was recorded during the agenda review; the council discussed the resolution and posed follow-up questions for staff.
