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Crow Wing County deputies assist with ICE arrests in Brainerd

The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office is located on Laurel Street in Brainerd.
Lorie Shaull
/
KAXE
The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office is located on Laurel Street in Brainerd.

Sources with knowledge of the incident said the arrests took place at El Potro Mexican Restaurant on South Seventh Street in downtown Brainerd.

Four people were arrested by Homeland Security Investigation agents Monday, Jan. 26, in downtown Brainerd with assistance by the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a Crow Wing County news release, deputies with the sheriff’s office were asked to assist a Homeland Security Investigation team with executing two federal arrest warrants.

The release did not provide clarity about why four people were arrested, if there were just two arrest warrants, and did not identify the individuals taken into custody without incident.

A request for comment from ICE was not returned as of late Monday afternoon.

The exact location was not disclosed in the release, but sources with knowledge of the incident said the arrests took place at El Potro Mexican Restaurant on South Seventh Street.

The restaurant was dark and doors were locked later Monday, with a sign stating “We are temporarily closed” taped inside the door.

El Potro Mexican restaurant is located on South Seventh Street in downtown Brainerd.
Chelsey Perkins
/
KAXE
El Potro Mexican restaurant is located on South Seventh Street in downtown Brainerd.
A sign taped inside the door into El Potro Mexican restaurant in downtown Brainerd states "We are temporarily closed" on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, after ICE agents made four arrests there. The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office assisted with the arrests, according to a news release.
Chelsey Perkins
/
KAXE
A sign taped inside the door into El Potro Mexican restaurant in downtown Brainerd states "We are temporarily closed" on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, after ICE agents made four arrests there. The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office assisted with the arrests, according to a news release.

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