Title
Adding Chapter 268 to the Legislative Code to prohibit law enforcement staging operations on city-owned properties and limit access to non-public City spaces.
Body
Section 1.
WHEREAS, Saint Paul is committed to the rule of law;
WHEREAS, Saint Paul was founded upon the lands of indigenous people, making nearly all 310,000 residents of this city immigrants or the descendants of immigrants;
WHEREAS, Saint Paul’s strength and vitality is a direct result of welcoming immigrants and diverse populations; from French fur traders, to Black porters, to Irish railroad workers, to Swedes in Swede Hollow, to Latinos of the West Side, to today’s Hmong, Somali, Karen, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and many other neighbors that enrich all aspects of Saint Paul’s civil life;
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council and the Mayoral Administration are dedicated to the safety and well-being of all residents of our city regardless of their immigration status;
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council and the Mayoral Administration are dedicated to the efficient and equitable use of city resources;
WHEREAS, Saint Paul city resources and locales are designed and maintained to serve all residents of Saint Paul, with the City Charter explicitly reserving the use of park property, including parking lots, for park purposes;
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Attorney issued a cease and desist letter on December 19, 2025, to the Acting Director of the Saint Paul Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which stated that any use of park parking lots by DHS/HSI/ICE without a permit is an unlawful use of City property and must desist immediately from using Saint Paul park parking lots.
WHEREAS, the cease and desist letter dated December 19, 2025, reserved the City “all rights and remedies available it under the law” and specifically noted that the City “will not hesitate to enforce those rights,” which heretofore those rights include authority in the City Charter to enact and...
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