MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Liberian man, Garrison Gibson, 37, was arrested over the weekend when heavily armed immigration agents forced entry into his Minneapolis home using a battering ram. Gibson's attorney, Marc Prokosch, stated that his arrest during what the Department of Homeland Security has termed its largest enforcement operation ever in Minnesota, represents a "blatant constitutional violation." Prokosch argued that agents only possessed an administrative warrant, which permits an arrest but does not authorize forced entry into private residences. Such actions require a criminal warrant signed by a judge.
Gibson, who fled the Liberian civil war as a child, had been living in the United States under an order of supervision, regularly checking in with immigration authorities. His arrest came just days after one of these check-ins. Prokosch highlighted the inconsistency in Gibson being labeled a dangerous individual when he had been complying with all legal requirements, stating, "If he's this dangerous person, then, why are they letting him walk around?"
The backdrop to this operation includes heightened tensions in Minneapolis following the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good by immigration agents just a week prior, which ignited protests and confrontations between authorities and activists. Prokosch underscored that Gibson's legal history mainly consists of traffic violations and minor drug offenses, with a single felony conviction in 2008 for third-degree narcotics sales, which has since been dismissed.
Following his arrest, Gibson was briefly transported to Texas by immigration authorities but returned to Minnesota within hours after Prokosch filed a habeas corpus petition to contest the legality of his imprisonment. Gibson is currently being held at an immigration detention center in Albert Lea, Minnesota, after a short stint at a large facility on Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department, publicly asserted that Gibson has a "lengthy rap sheet," including charges related to robbery, drug possession with intent to sell, and other offenses. However, McLaughlin did not clarify whether these were arrests, charges, or convictions, nor did she address the justification for the agents' use of force during the arrest.
During the arrest, Gibson’s wife, Teyana Gibson Brown, a nurse who was at home with their 9-year-old child, experienced significant distress, making communication difficult due to her emotional state. Activists present during the operation attempted to disrupt the agents' actions by banging drums and blowing whistles, which resulted in clashes where demonstrators were pepper-sprayed by immigration officers.
The Twin Cities have increasingly become a focal point in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign, exacerbated by recent fatal incidents involving immigration agents. The administration has subsequently announced plans to deploy additional federal agents to ensure the security of immigration officials amidst growing public unrest concerning these enforcement actions.
As of now, over 2,000 immigration arrests have occurred in Minnesota since this enforcement operation commenced in early December. Local and state officials are encouraging community members to provide video and other evidence related to the incident involving Renee Good’s death, as concerns grow regarding transparency and accountability in federal immigration enforcement actions.
