Hello from the State Capitol,
A proposal aimed at enhancing cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities who deal with violent illegal immigrants was voted down in the Minnesota House. It received no support from Democratic lawmakers.
The measure would have required local police to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when an undocumented immigrant is arrested for a violent crime. The proposal was inspired by the federal Laken Riley Act, which mandates detention of undocumented immigrants who admit to, are charged with, or are convicted of certain crimes, including theft-related offenses, assaulting law enforcement officers, or causing serious bodily harm or death. Riley was a student who was killed by an illegal immigrant with a history of previous criminal charges in other states.
The House bill specifically called for ICE notification in cases involving serious offenses such as murder, assault, carjacking, and kidnapping. It also sought to prevent local jurisdictions from enacting sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Because not one Democrat could support this reasonable plan, it failed on a tie vote.
ATTORNEY GENERAL ELLISON UNDER FIRE OVER INVOLVEMENT IN FEEDING OUR FUTURE SCANDAL
Attorney General Keith Ellison faced intense scrutiny before the Minnesota House Fraud Committee recently over his apparent connections to individuals later charged in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud case — the largest in state history.
Not long ago, leaked audio surfaced of Ellison meeting with members of Minnesota’s East African business community, some of whom were later indicted or convicted for their roles in the Feeding Our Future scam. In the recording, Ellison is heard expressing concern for those under investigation and even offering to pressure state agencies on their behalf.
This raises serious ethical concerns, particularly as Ellison, in his role as Attorney General, is expected to uphold the law and protect the integrity of state investigations — not interfere with them.
The controversy deepened when Ellison contradicted earlier public statements made by his office. In 2022, his office claimed it “jumpstarted” the Feeding Our Future investigation and had been involved for two years. Yet Ellison said he had no knowledge of the fraud during a December 2021 meeting with individuals later implicated in the scheme.
Even more troubling, separate audio from June 2021 suggests Ellison was aware of issues surrounding Feeding Our Future well before that meeting, casting further doubt on his claims.
Numerous questions remain, and I expect the fraud committee’s search for answers to continue.
In liberty,
Drew