Minnesota police chief escorts woman home after tense ICE encounter

A Minnesota police chief stepped in after federal immigration officers detained a woman during a roadside encounter, later driving her home himself.

According to Minnesota Public Radio, the woman, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, she had been tracking the movements of federal immigration officers using her car’s dashcam.

She said three vehicles began following her before trying to ‘box her in’.

Moments later, she alleges officers pulled her from her car by force, leaving her with cuts, scrapes and bruises.

The woman was then arrested and driven towards the Twin Cities, where she believed she was being taken to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.

But during the journey, officers reportedly received a phone call, described as coming from an ICE supervisor, and suddenly changed direction.

Instead of continuing, they returned her to St Peter, where local police chief Matt Grochow became involved.

In an email to the news outlet, Chief Grochow confirmed the woman was brought to the St Peter Police Department.

"ICE returned the female to our police department, I saw her, and I gave her a ride home," he said.

The woman described the drive as emotional, saying the chief already knew her address after speaking with her husband.

"He started talking to me like he just couldn't believe how terrible it was," she told the news outlet. 

Chief Grochow did not provide further details about his involvement.