Bemidji police deny involvement in ICE rumors, say no plans known

Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin said the department had not been informed of any plans for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the city after reports spread of people running and swimming away from federal agents near Lake Bemidji. His comments came as another visible enforcement scene added to weeks of uncertainty for workers and residents in Bemidji and Beltrami County.

Mastin had already drawn a clear line in January, saying he had not been informed of any current or planned ICE actions in Bemidji. He also said the Bemidji Police Department enforces state and local laws, not federal immigration law, and would not take a proactive part in ICE operations with federal agents. That distinction matters in a city where rumors can move quickly through job sites, schools, and neighborhood conversations.

The difference between rumor and confirmed action became sharper on June 12, when ICE detained "several" workers from at least one Bemidji job site. Federal agents also detained workers at a housing development at Vista North, and Mayor Jorge Prince confirmed the activity publicly. In that June operation, no requests were made of the Bemidji Police Department, and city officers did not coordinate or participate.

Those incidents have made recent enforcement activity impossible to separate from daily life in town. Repeated scenes at job sites, including at Vista North and earlier at the SouthShore Hotel, have left employers, crews, and bystanders trying to sort out what is happening in the moment. In that setting, Mastin’s statement functions as a public boundary: if ICE is operating, it is not because Bemidji police are carrying out federal immigration enforcement.

The latest incident came on July 16 near Lake Bemidji, when police were notified of a targeted enforcement operation that morning. A July 17 MPR News story was titled "Construction worker arrested after swimming away from ICE agents on Lake Bemidji," and search-result summaries from the Star Tribune said one construction worker swam about 100 yards before being apprehended. For residents watching from nearby roads, docks, or workplaces, the message from Bemidji police was direct: the department was not running ICE operations, and officers were not stepping into a federal role.