ICE Defends Augsburg Campus Arrest, Says Student Is Registered Sex Offender; School Wanted Warrant

ST. PAUL, MN — Federal immigration officers and Augsburg University officials offered sharply conflicting accounts this week after a weekend incident on campus ended with a student being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The incident happened Saturday in an Augsburg parking lot.

University leaders said the student had been followed in their vehicle back to campus by ICE agents before the detention occurred. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told FOX 9 that federal agents were involved in the incident and that there was a confrontation between agents and members of the campus community.

Augsburg University President Paul Pribbenow told MPR News that ICE agents were "on campus property illegally" because they did not produce a warrant when faculty asked to see one.

"We’re in a situation where, despite the fact that it was illegal without a warrant, there was really no recourse for us," Pribbenow said.

Federal officials strongly disputed Augsburg’s characterization. In a statement Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents arrested Jesus Saucedo-Portillo, describing him as a "criminal illegal alien," a registered sex offender, and someone previously arrested for driving while intoxicated.

ICE said he was taken into custody while getting into his vehicle.

According to DHS, a university administrator and campus security attempted to block the arrest and prevent ICE’s vehicle from leaving campus. The agency said its officers told school employees they had a warrant for Saucedo-Portillo and warned that obstructing their vehicle would amount to obstructing justice.

DHS said its officers "followed their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary to clear the area" before leaving campus with the detained individual.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between federal immigration officers and local institutions under the Trump administration’s renewed deportation efforts.