A federal raid at a St. Paul factory sent protesters scrambling through plumes of chemical spray Tuesday morning — and one lawmaker’s reaction is fueling criticism online.
Rep. Leigh Finke, a Democrat from St. Paul and the state’s first transgender legislator, condemned the operation as “Gestapo tactics” after federal agents descended on Bro-Tex Inc., a longtime paper-products manufacturer.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement to the media that “ICE HSI and law enforcement partners conducted court authorized law enforcement activity and served a search warrant in furtherance of a federal criminal investigation.”
“There is no threat to public safety, and the investigation remains ongoing at this time,” the statement added.
Videos from the scene show agents dressed in tactical gear marked with ICE, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and FBI insignia.
ICE conducted a raid in St. Paul today and violent rioters wanted to F AROUND
Well, they FOUND OUT what a face full of riot control agent feels and tastes like after interfering with federal immigration enforcement operations
Let's go 🫡🇺🇲
pic.twitter.com/I65QmoyHNS— AK Kamara (@realakkamara) November 19, 2025
Anti-ICE activists flooded the industrial park where videos posted online show demonstrators shouting “Nazi” and physically attempting to block agency vehicles from leaving the scene.
Immigration officials cleared anti-ICE extremists out of the way by using non-lethal ammunition and physical force on Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Arrest all of the obstructionists and jail them. pic.twitter.com/uEa7i0PGsc
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 19, 2025
One video posted on X shows federal agents deploying pepper spray at close range to disperse the protesters.
Anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota FA and try to block ICE and immediately FO pic.twitter.com/0i2XJRCSKP
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 19, 2025
Finke: We ‘must loudly oppose the Gestapo tactics’
Hours after the raid, Finke posted a statement on BlueSky criticizing the operation and voicing support for the protesters who confronted the federal agents.
“As your representative, I will always stand with our community. I’ll never stop fighting to protect all of our neighbors, no matter where they come from or why they are here,” Finke wrote. “Today’s federal action is a reminder of why we must not give no quarter to ICE and must loudly oppose the Gestapo tactics they employ to abduct our neighbors and friends.”
🚨 BREAKING: Minnesota Rep. Leigh Finke (D) just released a statement referring to ICE agents as “Gestapo” following a raid in St. Paul this morning.
Protesters were seen swarming ICE agents during the operation. pic.twitter.com/a2VXl61uZm
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) November 19, 2025
Finke’s rhetoric drew condemnation from conservatives and law-enforcement supporters. Critics said comparing ICE to Nazi secret police was inflammatory, disrespectful, and dangerous.
Minnesota GOP committeeman AK Kamara wrote on X: “Biological male, Democrat Rep. Leigh Finke, called ICE agents ‘Gestapo’ and called on his constituents to give them ‘no quarter,'” Kamara wrote, adding that Finke’s campaign manager “crashed out calling Charlie Kirk a ‘literal Nazi’ after he was assassinated. The next time someone tries to criticize you about civility politics in Minnesota, remind them who the Democrat party is, here in Minnesota.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced similar criticism earlier this year when he called ICE agents “modern-day Gestapo.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a Minnesota stop last month that thousands of new ICE agents would be dispatched across the country in the coming weeks, including to St. Paul, as part of the Trump administration’s effort in removing the “worst of the worst” from the streets.
At the time, DHS published a list of some of the criminal illegal aliens who have been arrested by ICE in the Twin Cities area, including “repeat child sex abusers, murderers, drunk drivers, and violent assailants.”
Finke calls Trump a ‘child rapist’
Finke’s comments about ICE come less than a week after the state representative posted on Instagram accusing President Donald Trump of participating in a “massive sex trafficking ring” and calling him a “child rapist.”
In the post, Finke wrote: “I don’t know what happens in this current political climate when we definitively prove that our president is a participant in a massive sex trafficking ring organized by his friends.”
“It is one thing for us to presume what we know in the face of mounting evidence. But it’s another thing to confirm the reality … that the man who is our elected president is a child rapist.”
“Release the files. Prosecute these predators, and find justice for the victims,” Finke added, referring to the government’s files on deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
President Trump signed a bill Wednesday evening directing the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files.
Alpha News contacted Finke’s office for any evidence backing the “child rapist” allegation, but did not receive a response.
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.
