Following the ICE arrest of two employees, who are U.S. citizens, inside the entrance to Target in Richfield this past week, protesters gathered outside the store on Saturday to demand that the Minneapolis-based retailer protect employees and customers from federal agents who are known to patrol Target parking lots.
“Will you really remain silent, as your workers here and customers elsewhere are taken? We demand that each of your stores protect the Fourth Amendment rights of your workers and customers, only letting ICE into private property when they have a signed judicial warrant,” said Ben Whalen, a former Richfield city council member.
The group delivered the following requests to a store manager at the Richfield Target, and plans to issue the same requests to corporate leaders. Verbatim:
- Commit to being a 4th Amendment business. This means Target will commit to prohibiting immigration enforcement from entering private spaces without a warrant signed by a judge and post this commitment publicly. The store will train staff about the rights of all people – and private businesses – under the 4th Amendment against unlawful search and seizure.
- Train Target employees about how to safely engage with immigration enforcement in the event they try to enter the store. This training should include how to inform them Target is a private space and they cannot enter without a warrant signed by a judge, and to document anything immigration enforcement does inside the store.
- Managing staff of the Richfield Target call Target Corporate and ask them to issue an official public statement calling for ICE to get out of Minnesota and for Congress to stop funding ICE.
Bring Me The News has reached out to Target media relations multiple times and has yet to receive a response in the wake of the January 7 incident…