Residents urge action as council responds to increased ICE activity; city outlines steps on cameras, rental aid and legal options
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Summary
Dozens of residents pressed the Richfield City Council on Jan. 27 to curtail federal immigration enforcement activities in neighborhoods and near schools; the council and staff described measures including $50,000 in emergency rental assistance, signage on city property, and staff review of eviction‑notice options and Flock camera practices.
A steady stream of Richfield residents used the council’s open forum on Jan. 27 to demand immediate local action in response to heightened federal immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities area.
Speakers described fear, reported incidents near schools and businesses, and urged the city to act. Betsy Stark, who said she has lived in Richfield for 67 years, recounted neighbors helping each other and said of the recent enforcement activity: "Together, we say, enough. You have terrorized our town." Several speakers asked the council to remove or shut off Flock license‑plate cameras and to stop sharing any data with federal agencies.
Nicole Cleland, a trained legal observer, told the council she was pulled over while observing and said she was later stripped of Global Entry and TSA PreCheck: "I was identified by name. I was told they had facial recognition of me." Cleland asked the city to assess the economic impact of ICE activity on Richfield businesses and to clarify what authority the city has to stop staging on city property.
Speakers called for an eviction moratorium and broader state action. Ashley Daniels urged the council to join Minneapolis and St. Paul in asking Gov. Tim Walz to declare a statewide emergency and impose an eviction moratorium; the city manager later cautioned that the city’s legal authority to impose a local moratorium is limited.
In the city manager report, City Manager Rodriguez summarized staff actions and follow‑ups requested by residents. Rodriguez said the HRA had approved $50,000 for VIP to provide emergency rental assistance and that the city had been sharing "know your rights" information and referral links to the ACLU and state attorney general reporting forms.
Rodriguez also addressed concerns about the Flock license‑plate camera system: city staff said Richfield's implementation uses a one‑to‑one data‑sharing configuration exclusively with its dispatch partner in Edina, that the national lookup feature has never been activated for Richfield, and that the city retains plate data for 30 days (compared with an industry standard of 60 days). "We're also confident that Richfield's data is not being shared with DHS or any federal agencies," the city manager reported.
On the question of eviction moratoria, Rodriguez said City Attorney Mary Tietjen does not believe the city has legal authority to impose a local eviction moratorium; staff are assessing options such as extending notice requirements for nonpayment evictions and will update the council later. Rodriguez said community development staff are working with counterparts in other cities to assess economic impacts, and reported an initial count of about nine businesses that had temporarily closed or reduced hours amid recent events.
Residents also detailed specific incidents: John Gravo described a Venezuelan woman who was required to attend an ICE meeting and was later moved to El Paso before being returned to Minnesota; Gravo said she had been denied required medications while in custody. Multiple commenters urged continued city coordination with neighboring cities and prosecutors and asked for clearer public communications about intercity meetings and press briefings.
Council members acknowledged the public comments, described ongoing intercity coordination and legal steps the city had taken (including joining a municipal prosecutors amicus brief), and backed continuing measures to protect schools, monitor surveillance systems and provide aid to affected residents.
The council’s subsequent formal actions included an emergency ordinance prohibiting staging on city‑owned lots (passed 5‑0) and ratification of participation in an amicus brief supporting expedited federal review of enforcement tactics.
