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Family members have identified Jeffrey Suazo, 26, as one of the people taken into custody by federal law enforcement during Tuesday’s operation on the east side of St. Paul.
“Jeffrey was on his way to work and saw that there was ICE activity,” Suazo’s family said in a statement delivered at a press conference on Wednesday.
“Jeffrey fled out of fear, fear of never seeing his partner, his family, fear of being taken away from his loved ones.”
While present, the family chose not to speak, opting to have the statement read out by community organizer Mary Anne Ligeralde Quiroz. In the statement, the family described the situation as Homeland Security Investigations agents — part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — attempted to enter the house.
“Children and a pregnant woman spent five hours under threats, humiliation by HSI agents, mockery and invasion of property,” Quiroz read from the statement, which also alleged federal agents threatened to throw chemical irritants into the house, before they were able to enter the property.
“They were able to get in without a warrant,” Quiroz read.
The incident in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of St. Paul comes after last week’s ICE raid on an industrial building in St. Paul’s St. Anthony Park neighborhood.
“These are traumatizing events, and families cannot be left alone to deal with the aftermath,” Mejia said, adding a call to action to continue support for families after events like this.
After the press conference, fellow community organizer Teya Chino outlined what support can look like, including connecting families with mental health professionals and lawyers and providing groceries and potentially other housing options.
“A lot of these families don't want to stay in the house that was just raided. That was just trashed,” Chino said. “Those are all aspects that we’re looking into tapping in with this family and making sure that they have everything they need.”
In a statement sent to MPR News on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said ICE also arrested someone from Honduras who was previously deported and illegally re-entered the U.S.
The spokesperson also said during Tuesday’s operation, a U.S. citizen “weaponized their vehicle and rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle. The attacker fled on foot but was later apprehended by law enforcement.”
The statement said ICE deployed crowd control measures “for the safety of the public and law enforcement.”
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