Target Store Protesters Arraigned Amid Backlash Over ICE Employee Arrests

When four activists sat down inside the Dinkytown Target in late January and refused to leave, they were pressing for a specific response from the Minneapolis-based retailer: a public statement condemning the violent arrest of two of its own employees by federal immigration agents. Nearly three months later, those four were arraigned on trespassing charges. Target has still not said a word.

The arraignments came Friday, March 27, closing a loop that started January 8, when Border Patrol agents tackled and detained two workers in the entrance of the Richfield Target during the height of Operation Metro Surge. Minnesota Rep. Michael Howard, who represents Richfield, confirmed both employees were U.S. citizens and had been injured. "I can't believe in the year 2026 in our country, we have two workers — they're U.S. citizens — violently arrested and hauled away. It's madness," Howard said. The Department of Homeland Security claimed it arrested one individual for assaulting federal officers but has not clarified which person it was referring to.

The trespassing charges against the four Dinkytown protesters were brought by Target, not initiated independently by police. Their attorney, Jessica West, called it "the criminalization of peaceful protest" and noted the charges, if they hold, could mean jail time, fines, probation, or community service. One of the arraigned protesters, Aaron Shine, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse before the hearing. Sahan Journal reached out to Target for comment and received no response.

That silence has defined the company's posture throughout. Nearly 275 Target employees signed a letter demanding action after the Richfield incident. When protesters occupied the Dinkytown store on January 30, five Target employees spontaneously walked off the job in solidarity, disrupting operations for an hour. The following day, Target closed the store early rather than face another disruption. Organizer Elan Axelbank described the pattern that sparked the protests: "ICE has been staging operations at Target parking lots all across the city."

Here is what Target team members and leaders need to know, because the company has not told them.

If ICE enters your store during a shift, you are not required to answer questions about your immigration status or the status of coworkers. You have the right to remain silent and to request an attorney before speaking. The critical legal distinction: ICE agents carrying only an administrative warrant, which is signed by a federal agency official, have no authority to compel access to private areas of a business. Only a judicial warrant, signed by a federal judge, meets the legal threshold. Ben Whalen, a former Richfield city council member and one of the protest organizers, made this the centerpiece of his demands: "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." If you witness or are involved in an enforcement action at work, write down badge numbers, agent names, and the precise time immediately. Then contact legal aid, in Minnesota: Advocates for Human Rights and Unidos Minnesota are actively providing support to workers affected by Operation Metro Surge.

For team leads and ETLs, the obligations are sharper. Document every federal agent interaction in writing, including time, names, badge numbers, and which areas of the store they accessed or attempted to access. Do not consent to ICE entering stockrooms, back offices, or break rooms without a judicial warrant, and do not volunteer any information about employees. Disclosing a team member's immigration status, even informally, creates legal exposure. Take no adverse employment action, including scheduling changes, write-ups, or termination, against any employee who raises immigration enforcement concerns or participates in protected activity outside of work. Target's Employee Assistance Program provides confidential mental health support for team members experiencing stress related to workplace disruption; leaders should proactively share that resource with affected coworkers.

The scale of what workers have faced is concrete. During Operation Metro Surge, federal agents arrested roughly 4,000 people across Minnesota. Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz found on January 28 that ICE had violated at least 96 court orders in the state since January 1 alone. Target is headquartered three miles from the Dinkytown store where four of its neighbors were just arraigned for demanding it protect its workers. The company's silence on what those workers can do when agents walk through the door is itself a policy decision.