Target has come under pressure from protesters and pols in its home state of Minnesota after ICE agents detained two employees of the big box retailer who were US citizens.
Federal immigration agents detained the workers inside a Richfield, Minn., store on Jan. 8 after a confrontation that began in the parking lot and spilled into the vestibule, according to local officials and witness accounts.
One of the employees shouted, “I’m literally a US citizen!” as agents escorted him toward a vehicle, The Wall Street Journal noted.
The duo, Jonathan Aguilar Garcia and Christian Miranda Romano, were doing drive-up duty when they were stopped by agents led by a senior US Border Patrol commander, officials said.
Minnesota state Rep. Michael Howard said the agents entered the store without a warrant and physically detained the workers, while family members and witnesses alleged the incident amounted to racial profiling.
The Department of Homeland Security later said on social media that one individual had been arrested for “assaulting a federal law enforcement offers [sic],” which the defendants’ families and local officials denied.
Both employees were eventually released.
One was reportedly dropped off injured and crying at a nearby Walmart parking lot while the other was briefly taken to a detention center before being let go.
The Post has sought comment from Target, DHS, ICE and US Customs and Border Protection.
Garcia and Romano were not immediately available for comment.
Protests erupted outside the Richfield Target store days after the detentions, with demonstrators demanding the retailer take steps to protect workers and customers from federal immigration agents operating on its property.
Activists chanted, held signs and confronted store management during a Saturday demonstration that drew local residents and faith-based groups.
Organizers said they asked Target to train employees on how to respond to immigration agents, including informing them that access to private areas of stores requires a signed warrant.
Protesters also urged the company to publicly oppose immigration enforcement actions at its locations, arguing that Target’s silence had fueled anger in a community already on edge.
“It’s odd for them at this moment, when Minnesota is under sort of occupation, that they are silent,” said Ben Whalen, a former Richfield City Council member who helped organize the protest.
Whalen said the group met with the store’s manager to press for clearer policies and stronger protections for employees following the incident.
Federal immigration enforcement has surged across Minnesota in recent weeks, with ICE and Border Patrol agents conducting operations in residential neighborhoods, retail parking lots and inside big-box stores.
The activity intensified following a major federal deployment that has netted hundreds of illegal immigrants — including dozens accused of serious violent offenses — and rattled residents, according to officials.
Tensions exploded after the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, with the incident sparking days of protests and sharp political backlash.
Demonstrators flooded streets and gathered outside government buildings and federal targets, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other officials calling for ICE to leave the city as investigations into the shooting continue and public anger over the federal presence shows no sign of easing.
In the early phase of the operation, agents arrested roughly 300 people in a two-day sweep in the Minneapolis area, according to federal officials, with at least 10 identified as accused killers or violent child sex offenders.
Federal immigration enforcement has played out at major retailers other than Target across Minnesota.
Immigration officials have detained people inside Walmart stores and in parking lots around the Twin Cities in recent days, according to local officials.
Videos circulating online appear to show agents confronting individuals inside stores and using retail locations as staging areas while operations are underway.
Home Depot parking lots have similarly become frequent sites of enforcement activity, particularly because day laborers — many of them immigrants — have long gathered there seeking temporary construction work.
Activists have urged the company to intervene or discourage the raids, but Home Depot has said federal agents are permitted to operate in publicly accessible areas and that the company does not coordinate with ICE or CBP.
The Post has sought comment from Walmart and Home Depot.
