Immigration agents arrest activists following them in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Immigration officers arrested activists who were trailing their vehicles on Tuesday in Minneapolis.

Tension remains in the Minneapolis area after the departure of high-profile commander Greg Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol and the arrival of Trump administration border czar Tom Homan, which followed the fatal shooting of activist Alex Pretti.

Federal agents in the Twin Cities lately have been conducting more targeted immigration arrests at homes and neighborhoods, rather than staging in parking lots. The convoys have been harder to find and less aggressive. Alerts in activist group chats have been more about sightings than immigration-related detainments.

Several cars followed officers through south Minneapolis after there were reports of them knocking at homes. Officers stopped their vehicles and ordered activists to come out of a car. Agents told reporters at the scene to stay back and threatened to use pepper spray.

A federal judge last month put limits on how officers treat motorists who are following them but not obstructing their operations. Safely following agents “at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop,” the judge said. An appeals court, however, set the order aside.

Meanwhile, Tuesday was the deadline for Minneapolis to produce information for a federal grand jury. It's part of a U.S. Justice Department request for records of any effort to stifle the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Ally Peters, spokesperson for Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, said the city was complying, but she didn't elaborate. Other state and local offices run by Democrats were given subpoenas, though it's not known whether they had the same deadline. People familiar with the matter have told the AP that the subpoenas are related to an investigation into whether Minnesota officials obstructed enforcement through public statements.