The Minnesota State Patrol quietly limited the ability of its troopers to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during traffic stops involving suspected illegal immigrants, multiple sources tell Alpha News.
The Minnesota State Patrol polices Minnesota’s roadways and is comprised of over 600 state troopers. The agency is a part of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, which reports directly to Gov. Tim Walz. The State Patrol makes more than 300,000 traffic stops per year.
Multiple state troopers spoke with Alpha News on the condition of anonymity and explained that the new directive came down sometime in the summer of 2024 — around when Walz was running for vice president.
“State troopers are often the front line of defense on our highways and freeways. They are regularly involved in traffic stops involving criminal interdiction; remaining vigilant for human trafficking, transportation of large amounts of cash, drugs and other criminal activity,” one trooper told Alpha News. “In this role they often come into contact with individuals here illegally. This new directive limits their ability to notify the proper authorities of this crime.”
“In the past, if I stopped a car anywhere in Minnesota, and I believed that people were here illegally, I would have dispatch call ICE through a certain phone number that is for expedited returns for traffic stops,” the trooper added. “It was done on a routine basis. They would interview the person over the phone or ask certain questions and then tell us to detain them if they thought they were here illegally.”
However, this type of coordination is no longer allowed, the sources say. Further, the trooper said the State Patrol would likely cite Minnesota Statutes 299D, the decades-old statute that authorizes the State Patrol, when asked about this situation.
Sure enough, when contacted for comment, the State Patrol cited Minnesota Statutes 299D.
“Our authorized duties are set by Minnesota State Statute 299D. There has been no change in immigration enforcement policy or the expectations of troopers or the Minnesota State Patrol. Our only policies are written,” the State Patrol told Alpha News in a statement.
But the change has been communicated verbally, according to the sources.
“There’s no written policy and that’s the point,” one trooper said. “Perhaps the largest agency that has access in Minnesota is not putting illegals in the pipeline.”
The trooper is concerned that if something happens that an illegal immigrant is responsible for down the road, “I’m the trooper who let them go.”
“You have to live with that,” the trooper commented. Before, there was cooperation where a trooper could sit on scene and wait for immigration authorities to arrive, according to the trooper.
“Now, you can’t even tell them,” the trooper said. “It’s a major issue.”
Another trooper corroborated this assessment, saying, “It was a change in practice but they won’t acknowledge it.”
“At least before we could call,” the trooper said. “They hide behind this 299D. They hide behind the words.”
That source said state troopers routinely pull people over who don’t speak English and have no ID.
“The part that really got me was the dishonesty, we’ve done it like this for years,” the trooper said. Cooperation with immigration authorities is “common sense,” according to the trooper.
As Alpha News reported in January, the State Patrol said it was reviewing an incident where the agency allegedly declined to assist a non-ICE federal employee during a possible stalking incident because the State Patrol wants “nothing to do with ICE.”
“You don’t handcuff the cops,” one of the troopers remarked. “We aren’t going to know, is it a cook at a restaurant or it could be a murderer.”
Liz Collin
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter, news anchor, and producer who cares about Minnesota. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
