Kaohly Her, the newly installed mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, has described her city as being "under siege" by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, as federal immigration raids continue to roil the Twin Cities. Her, a Hmong refugee who arrived in the US as a child, took office just three weeks ago and has already been placed under federal investigation for allegedly obstructing immigration enforcement.
The raids, which began in June, have escalated since the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a US mother of three, by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. In one incident, ChongLy Scott Thao, a 57-year-old US citizen, was photographed being taken from his home by ICE officers in freezing temperatures wearing only shorts, a blanket and sandals. Her called the sight "heartbreaking". Thao was later released, and the Department of Homeland Security claimed his arrest was part of a targeted operation seeking two sex offenders, though no evidence was provided.
Her's administration has responded by working with advocacy groups to train residents on constitutional observer courses, teaching them how to videotape ICE operations without interfering. The city has also set up programmes to help people retrieve vehicles abandoned after ICE detentions and has challenged ICE's ability to stage in local parks. Saint Paul maintains a separation ordinance prohibiting coordination with ICE and has joined a lawsuit aimed at ending the surge, which the US justice department has called "legally frivolous".
Her, the first woman, first Asian American and first Hmong American to serve as Saint Paul mayor, previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives and as policy director for former mayor Melvin Carter. In her inaugural address, she vowed to confront what she called the "incursion" of the federal government "head-on".
