With the continued surge of federal immigration officers flooding into the state, rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sitings have run rampant across social media and beyond. Often these sightings are simply of large SUVs with tinted windows rather than actual federal agents, however.
At the time of this writing, the Hastings Police Department (HPD) has not received “any credible reports of ICE in the community and I hope it stays that way,” said Hastings Police Chief Dave Wilske.
Wilske criticized the widespread false reports of ICE enforcement within the city and beyond as akin to “gaslighting,” saying they “create confusion and frustration.”
Often, even law enforcement isn’t informed ahead of federal immigration operations which has caused confusion as local authorities are called on federal officials for kidnapping and assault reports.
“They aren’t going to notify us if they come to town,” said Wilske.
Neither the Hastings Police Department nor the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office cooperate with ICE via the 287(g) program that allows ICE to “delegate state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight,” according to the US Immigrant and Customs Enforcement website.
Only six law enforcement agencies across the state have signed onto this program. They are Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office, Itaska County Sheriff’s Office, Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office and Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office.
To that point, the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office is not allowed to detain individuals based on federal immigration charges.
It was a point, Wilske wanted to make clear: “We don’t enforce immigration.”
Wilske encouraged residents to continue to call HPD if there is an emergency. As usual, the Hastings Police do not check immigration status.
In the event of an ICE operation within Hastings, the role of the police would be simply to “keep the peace,” said Wilske.
HPD “would probably leave,” if called to an active ICE operation, “unless we were needed to keep the peace,” said Wilske.

Commissioners briefed on ICE Impact
The broad impact of ICE across Dakota County was the topic at the Dakota County General Government and Policy Committee of the Whole meeting earlier this week.
Residents might have already noticed these impacts around town as a number of local restaurants have struggled to maintain staffing levels and truancy rates have risen county-wide.
The county briefing was prompted by Commissioner Joe Atkins, asking for more information on the “impact of ICE enforcement, actions from personnel, [and] county costs.”
Atkins referenced interference with county programs and functions like jurors not reporting to jury duty or the widespread absenteeism within schools over the past month.
“We’ve got a truancy reduction program. What are we doing right now to try to reduce truancy as part of that program?” said Atkins.
“It feels unprecedented,” said Commissioner Laurie Halverson.
Other commissioners disagreed with wanting or even needing a briefing.
“Sounds pretty one-sided to me. I’d have to know more to say yes,” said Commissioner Mary Liz Hoberg about the potential briefing.
Commissioner Liz Workman called Atkins’ truancy example “a stretch.”
Despite those qualms, commissioners gave the nod to move ahead with the report. County Manager Heidi Welsch was clear that beyond speaking with the county attorney and sheriff there wasn’t a lot of hard data to present: “We can give you here’s the things we know, which is going to be a lot smaller than the things we don’t know,” said Welsch.
Details about that briefing will be in the next edition of the Hastings Journal.