By Rich Larson
Many residents of Northfield and the surrounding area have been feeling angry and apprehensive about the actions of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Northfield and around the state over the past few weeks. In November, ICE Agents publicly and forcefully removed Adan Nunez Gonzalez, a man who had lived in Northfield for more than a decade, from his car and took him into custody. He has since, reportedly, been deported to Mexico. Just this past week, an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in South Minneapolis, on the same day as a violent raid involving several ICE Agents and students and teachers at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis.
In the aftermath of the incidents, there have been rumors of ICE activity in Northfield, including one that was believed to have been well founded, that focused on the Fairfield Inn and a reservation that was attempted to be made for what was presumed to be ICE agents. Andy Beaham, the Director of Operations for Rebound Hospitality, one of the organizations that owns and operates the Fairfield, said they were contacted, but the hotel was not able to make the reservation.
“We had somebody request a large block of rooms at a government rate. We didn’t know for sure which government agency it was for, but obviously assumptions – with everything happening in Minnesota – were made. In the end, we were unable to accommodate them due to prior reservations and occupancy. We’re busy, and we didn’t have the ability to accommodate the reservation. They have not reached back out us.”
Beaham said the hotel was receiving angry, and even belligerent, phone calls accusing the hotel of harboring “nefarious people and working with a corrupt system.” He said passions are obviously running high, but to his knowledge there are no Federal ICE agents staying at the Fairfield Inn. WIth that said, however, they would not be in a position to decline a reservation for the organization should the hotel have the space, because that would be in violation of their partnership agreement with Marriott.
“We run the business as a business and try to keep politics out of it, but it is not an independent hotel. It is a Marriott property, and due to that we are not allowed to turn them away. We’ve seen this happen in Lakeville just last week. A hotel denied ICE, and a couple days later, Hilton dropped that hotel.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon, hundreds of people braved the cold wind to gather on Bridge Square to protest ICE Activity. With ages ranging from young children, to college students, to seniors, the protestors heard speakers, lead chants like “ICE out for good,” and were joined by at least one bagpiper.
One protestor who wished to remain anonymous summed up why they were there.
“It feels like a fascist regime is in power in America, and we can’t let this happen in this country. Our friends are being kidnapped. Our neighbors are being murdered. We have a moral responsibility to do what we can to bring this to a halt.”
KYMN news has made repeated attempts to contact the St. Paul ICE Field Office. Those phone calls have not been returned.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
