The Dept of Homeland Security says one of the two was arrested for assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. Rep. Michael Howard disagrees.

RICHFIELD, Minn. — We’re learning new information and hearing for the first time from someone who’s spoken to the two people taken into custody during an encounter with federal immigration officers at the Richfield Target last week.

State Representative Michael Howard, DFL-51A, which represents Richfield and parts of Minneapolis, says he’s been in contact with the two, who he says are employees at the Target. 

“I can tell you they are U.S. citizens,” Howard said. “They were injured during this violent arrest.”

Videos obtained and reviewed by KARE 11 show federal agents, including Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, arrive at the Richfield Target last week. Onlookers begin recording, as Bovino begins speaking to them.

“You doing alright?” Bovino is heard asking.

“Nah, I’m not doing alright,” someone off camera says.

The encounter turns tense, as Bovino asks those filming if they’re U.S. citizens, and people begin cursing at the agents. It’s unclear if the two employees are the ones saying this at this point in the videos KARE 11 has seen.

Eventually, Bovino and his crew of agents begin walking towards the front entrance, and a scuffle breaks out, as an agent attempts to tackle an employee.

“Look, look, look, look!” one person can be heard saying. “They’re grabbing him!”

Other videos show one of the employees shouting that they’re a U.S. citizen, before they’re put in the back of an unmarked vehicle.

“I’d ask people to put themselves in the shoes of young workers who came to work at Target and had federal agents, people that you maybe might expect, folks that are supposed to keep you safe, violently take you into custody while you’re saying, ‘I’m a U.S. citizen, I’m a U.S. citizen,'” Howard said. “How would that make you feel? I mean, this is a traumatic experience for anyone to encounter, and it’s just not right.”

One of those videos was recorded by Mike Trench, who was on his way to get groceries when he saw the encounter unfolding.

“It was abhorrent, it was terrible,” he said. “It was really unnerving.”

“The manager was super upset, she was screaming, she was as loud as she could be, went right up to them when they were putting him in the car, and just said, ‘I have their documents,'” he continued.

In a post on X, the Department of Homeland Security said that, “This individual was arrested for assaulting federal law enforcement officers.”

Howard says that isn’t true.

“Border patrols account, saying that they assaulted agents, is bullsh*t,” he said.

“What I would say is folks can believe their own eyes,” Howard continued. “There’s plenty of video that showed these workers violently being arrested. Greg Bovino himself is the one that asked these workers, ‘are you U.S. citizens?'”

Howard says it’s his understanding that one of the two employees was left in a nearby Walmart parking lot.

“Just a sort of terrifying and egregious situation.”