Fact Check: Did ICE offer money or legal protection to observer Brandon Siguenza in Minneapolis?
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Brandon Siguenza, a resident of Minneapolis, took to Facebook and wrote on Monday, January 12, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained him the day before.
During the detention, Siguenza reportedly claimed that ICE agents offered him money or legal protection for undocumented relatives if he provided them with names of immigrants in the country illegally or the protest organizers. But is there any truth to his social media post? Let us find out below.
Claim: ICE offered money/legal protection to Brandon Siguenza in Minneapolis
Brandon Siguenza wrote in his Facebook post on Monday, "Yesterday, while doing legal observation, ICE stopped their cars to harass my friend and me. They sprayed pepper spray into the vent of our vehicle. We held our hands in the air and told them we were not obstructing, that the car was in park, and they were free to drive forward and away."
"There was no active immigration raid. They returned to their cars and drove forward a bit, then decided to stop again. They surrounded us, smashed the windows of our car, opened the doors (they were unlocked), ripped my friend and me out of the car, and arrested us on charges of obstruction," the post further read.
Meanwhile, Siguenza also mentioned further in the post, "At one point, 3 men from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations brought me into a cell. They insinuated that they could help me out. After inquiring several times what exactly they meant, they finally told me that they could offer undocumented family members of mine legal protection if I have any (I don’t), or money, in exchange for giving them the names of protest organizers, or undocumented persons. I was shocked, and told them no."
Concluding the post, the Minneapolis resident wrote, "During my detention, I knew that I was being released. I knew that as a citizen of the United States, I have legal protection. The hundred or so other people being detained had no such protection."
"Please take care of yourselves, your family, and your community. I am safe and healthy. If you feel compelled to help, please offer your help to the Immigrant Defense Network," Siguenza added.
The post was further shared on Facebook and Reddit by different users.
Fact Check: DHS Assistant Secretary says the claim is 'False'
Fact-checking outlet Snopes reported that DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that "any claim that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering money to agitators for information leading to the arrest of illegal aliens is FALSE."
McLaughlin also added that O'Keefe and Siguenza committed a felony by 'stalking and obstructing ICE law enforcement.' Siguenza mentioned in the Facebook post that he was released without being charged.
Apart from the social media post, Siguenza and O'Keefe spoke to KARE, the Twin Cities' NBC affiliate, about their experience and the news outlet uploaded a 17-minute video of an interview with the two to its YouTube Channel.
Moreover, O'Keefe also talked about her experience to the Minnesota Reformer, a nonprofit news organization.
As per the interview with KARE, Siguenza and O'Keefe responded to an ICE sighting at East 42nd Street and South 16th Avenue in south Minneapolis. After following two ICE vehicles, agents allegedly got out of their cars and sprayed pepper spray into the vents of O'Keefe's car before breaking their windows, taking them out of the vehicle, and arresting them.
