The open forum at Fridley’s Jan. 26 City Council meeting drew an estimated 100 attendees, many expressing fear, anger and frustration over heightened federal immigration enforcement in the city and what they described as continued inaction by city leaders.
Residents from across Fridley — including homeowners, manufactured home park residents, educators, school board members and former political candidates — spoke at length, describing a city they said no longer felt safe or recognizable.
Fridley resident Elissa Schnell said the sense of safety she once associated with the city was shaken earlier this month after a neighbor alerted her that the front window of her home was open and the screen missing.
“My first instinct was that we had been burglarized,” Schnell said. “I contacted law enforcement and raced home.”
When she arrived, Schnell said she first checked on her disabled father-in-law, who lives in the home and had been alone at the time.
After confirming he was safe, Schnell said the family reviewed their home surveillance footage — and what they saw, she said, was not a burglary at all.
“A young man, maybe in his 20s, could be seen running in a way that I can only describe as terror,” Schnell said through tears. “Not far behind him were Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. They chased him through neighboring yards and into our own.”
She said the man entered the home seeking safety. Her father-in-law initially thought the man was a family member, she said, before hearing him cry out, “God help me.”
Schnell said the man attempted to barricade himself inside before fleeing back outside.
“The danger was not the person who entered our home,” Schnell said. “Once we realized what had happened, it was clear the danger was outside.”
Fridley Schools District Board Chair Jake Karnopp said he was speaking on behalf of the board, noting that other members addressed the council in their personal capacities.
“Over the last several weeks, ICE has been visibly present around our schools,” Karnopp said. “At bus stops. In neighborhoods. Around places where children are supposed to feel safe.”
Karnopp said the presence has fueled fear among students and families, driven absenteeism and disrupted learning.
He challenged the city for declining to update its 2017 immigration guidance and for refusing to commit to a formal protocol with the school district governing how federal agents interact near school property.
“You have declined to acknowledge the legal limits on ICE access to school property,” Karnopp said. “And you have refused to commit to a partnership protocol that protects students and staff.”
As a result, he said, the district was forced to build its own safety infrastructure, including constitutional observers during arrival and dismissal, additional staff at school buildings, and dedicated security at each site.
“We’ve had to patrol bus stops,” Karnopp said, “because families are terrified to stand there alone.”
Karnopp said 421 students have enrolled in virtual learning options due to safety concerns. He said the district has also coordinated food delivery, transportation and multilingual support for affected families.
Several residents said community members have organized informal alert networks to warn neighbors when immigration agents are spotted.
Aaron Rothe said volunteers respond to reports in real time and alert residents to take shelter.
“We blow whistles. We honk horns,” Rothe said. “We tell people, ‘Federal agents are here. Go inside. Lock your doors. Be safe.’”
Nicole Allen, a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing in the district, said she has watched fear surface in her students and in her own home.
“My daughter has asked me, ‘What if they take my teacher and my mom?’” Allen said.
She also described a high school student who witnessed a neighbor detained while waiting for the bus, then arrived at school and broke down in tears, unsure whether she or her mother would be safe.
Anna Pribula, who has lived in Fridley since 1967 and provided child care in the city for decades, said the fear has reached even the youngest children.
“I have one little boy who’s afraid to take out the garbage,” Pribula said. “And I have one who’s afraid to go to school.”
Natividad Seefeld, a former mayoral candidate and president of a manufactured home community, recounted an encounter she said occurred when federal agents entered the park last week.
Seefeld said she ran outside to photograph the agents before following them in her vehicle and honking to alert residents.
“They backed into a driveway like they were trying to hide,” Seefeld said. “So I kept honking so people would know.”
She said an agent struck her vehicle and accused her of interfering with federal law. She said multiple agents exited their vehicles carrying firearms and demanded her identification.
Seefeld said Fridley police later arrived and the situation was resolved. Observers were present throughout the encounter, she said, including community members and city officials. Council Member Patrick Vescio appeared visibly emotional as she spoke.
During council remarks, Council Member Ryan Evanson said he was moved by the testimony and acknowledged that many residents feel unsafe.
“I understand that ‘unsafe’ can mean a lot of different things to different people,” Evanson said. “But what we heard tonight matters, and I want to make sure our community remains safe based on that.”
He said he was committed to dialogue, prayer and upholding constitutional rights.
Mayor David Ostwald thanked residents for coming forward.
Council Member Ann Bolkcom said the testimony reflected a community shaken at its core.
“Our world is rocked right now,” Bolkcom said, “and not in a good way.”