Residents press Maple Grove council to act on federal immigration activity; council schedules further discussion

Residents told the Maple Grove City Council on Feb. 17 that federal immigration-enforcement activity in the metro area has bled into Maple Grove and urged the council to take concrete action, including joining the Cities for Safe and Stable Communities coalition.

At the open forum, Andy Campbell said he wanted neighbors to feel safe and urged the city to “stand for public safety, civil rights and to publish a formal separation ordinance.” Jonathan Schneider expressed concern about the police department’s contract with FLOCK and asked how many cameras Maple Grove has, how much they cost and whether camera data has been shared with the Department of Homeland Security. Drae Solberg said residents have observed federal agents staying in hotels, using unmarked vehicles and concealing identities, and asked why such activity appears to be continuing even after state-level changes in enforcement.

Several speakers framed the issue as both a civil-rights and a public-safety concern. Maddy Geislinger said an employee was taken from Lotus “without a signed warrant,” and asked the city to engage the Lotus business owner to protect workers. Vanessa Plata, speaking as an immigrant and person of color, said she felt targeted and stated, “this administration was hunting people like her like animals.” Speakers also urged the council to join the Cities for Safe and Stable Communities coalition and to ban staging by federal agents on city property.

Mayor Mark Steffenson acknowledged constituent concerns and praised the Maple Grove Police Department for focusing on local responsibilities, constitutional policing and maintaining a visible presence in the community. He said state law-enforcement leaders had raised concerns about federal tactics and that coordination among agencies and neighboring cities has led to reductions in some enforcement activity. The mayor said he had reviewed the coalition’s platform and “did not see the need for individual cities with unequal impacts receiving state funding,” and he emphasized continued coordination and information-sharing where appropriate.

Councilmember Kristy Janigo said she submitted a request for a council work session on March 2 to further discuss the matter and proposed creating a community engagement team to work with residents on trust-building and crisis response; she noted the topic would also be included in a strategic planning session on Feb. 21.

No formal council action to join the coalition or adopt an ordinance was taken on Feb. 17. The council scheduled internal follow-up (a March 2 work session and Feb. 21 strategic planning discussion) to further consider resident concerns and possible next steps.