A southern Minnesota city wants a say in how federal agents do their jobs.
The Mankato City Council passed an ordinance to prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from wearing masks or refusing to identify themselves while conducting enforcement operations, following a unanimous vote Monday.
The emergency ordinance — which took effect immediately — applies not just to ICE, but to all law enforcement agencies, including federal, state and local officers. An exception was made for officers working undercover.
The rules also require law enforcement agencies to notify Mankato officials when they plan enforcement operations, mandate the use of body cameras when available, and compel officers to identify themselves on request.
Enforcement limits acknowledged from the start
City officials acknowledged that passing an ordinance does not guarantee federal compliance — and that the city’s leverage, even when the rules are violated, is limited.
City Attorney Pam Whitmore repeatedly cautioned council members that Mankato does not have authority over federal agencies, and that enforcement would be challenging in real time.
“If we pass this, and an agency comes into town, and is performing their duties and is wearing a face mask, what will happen?” asked council member Jessica Hatanpa. “What will our officers — I’m assuming they’ll ask them to remove it — [but] what if they don’t?”
“Yeah, so that’s a really good question,” responded Whitmore. “Practically, this is going to be a difficult one to enforce for our officers.”
Whitmore explained that even if a federal officer refused to identify themselves or remove a face covering, the city’s options would likely be limited to requesting compliance or issuing a citation.
Council weighs risk of federal retaliation
City leaders openly discussed the possibility that adopting the ordinance could draw unwanted attention from Washington — including lawsuits, increased enforcement activity, or pressure tied to federal funding.
Whitmore told council members that other jurisdictions which have attempted to regulate immigration enforcement have faced legal challenges from the Trump administration.
Council member Michael McLaughlin argued that backing down because of potential federal pushback would amount to surrendering to “tyranny.”
“If we use that as our metric, it’s essentially succumbing to tyranny at that point,” McLaughlin said.
Mankato in line with St. Paul
Mankato’s action follows a similar move in St. Paul, where Mayor Kaohly Her on Feb. 20 signed an ordinance prohibiting officers conducting law enforcement duties in the city from wearing identity-obscuring masks.
The St. Paul measure, passed unanimously by the City Council on Feb. 18, applies to all law enforcement agencies and includes limited exceptions for undercover operations and necessary protective gear.
“We will continue to set the rules of engagement for law enforcement in our city,” Her said upon signing the ordinance.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
