A multicar accident Wednesday morning in St. Paul, Minnesota, involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in pursuit of a suspect through several downtown streets, resulted in at least one injury and the city's mayor calling for an end to the immigration actions in the state.
Three vehicles were damaged in the crash at the intersection of Western Avenue North and Selby Avenue outside a local business, Nina's Coffee Cafe, MPR reported.
According to preliminary information from the Saint Paul Police Department, "federal agents were pursuing a person in a vehicle when the vehicle crashed."
In a statement, the police department said officers were called to the scene at approximately 9:39 a.m. local time to respond to a vehicle crash.
"It was reported that a large crowd had formed," the department said. "The preliminary information we received was that federal agents were pursuing a person in a vehicle when the vehicle crashed."
The police statement added that the person who was being pursued was transported to a local hospital by Saint Paul Fire medics and did not suffer life-threatening injuries.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed to Newsmax that on Wednesday morning, ICE officers "attempted to conduct a targeted vehicle stop of Alexander Romero-Avila, an illegal alien from Honduras RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration in 2022."
"In a dangerous attempt to resist arrest, this illegal alien tried to evade law enforcement and began driving recklessly and ran red lights, endangering public safety and law enforcement," she added.
"Romero-Avila crashed his vehicle into multiple vehicles and a ICE law enforcement vehicle," said McLaughlin. "Law enforcement immediately called 911 to get medical assistance. No members of the public or ICE officers were injured in the crash. The illegal alien was taken to Regents Hospital for evaluation of injuries."
McLaughlin said such attempts to evade arrests have surged, with officers "facing a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks."
"These dangerous attempts to evade arrest have surged since sanctuary politicians have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest and provided guides advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest," she said.
St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her told NBC affiliate KARE that the other vehicles involved in the crash were owned by bystanders, not people involved in the chase.
The mayor said that the crash was the latest example of federal agents' tactics and how they endanger the public.
She also called for an end to the ongoing federal immigration operation in Minnesota.
"The incident today at Selby and Western underscores the fact that ICE is still present, causing chaos, and putting residents at risk in Saint Paul," she said.
"I want to thank those who continue to show up and keep watch over their neighbors. I also want to thank the Saint Paul Police for staying on the scene to clean up and ensure those impacted received assistance," she added.
Still, said the mayor, "Because of the reckless way that ICE is running their operation, one person ended up in the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, and several bystanders had their cars damaged."
"This is just another incident that tells us loud and clear: Operation Metro Surge needs to end immediately," she said.
Three vehicles, including one with out-of-state plates often used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies, sustained heavy damage, witnesses said.
According to photos taken by MPR News, one of the vehicles suffered front-end damage, with the other having significant damage to the driver's side of the car.
"I was there," one witness, identified as Dan Monfre on X, commented. "ICE recklessly chased a car at high speeds through a residential area in St Paul and hit multiple cars as they barreled through an intersection."
"The car took a big hit, and the driver was covered with a sheet and taken away in an ambulance," he added. "CPS nearby said he was still alive."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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