BEMIDJI — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained workers from at least one Bemidji construction site Thursday, June 11.
Mayor Jorge Prince confirmed the operation in a Friday morning post on Facebook. Prince said the Bemidji Police Department did not participate in the operation.
"Yesterday, I was informed that an ICE operation took place at Vista North," Prince wrote. "Several employees of a contractor working on site were detained. No requests were made of the Bemidji Police Department and BPD did not coordinate nor participate in any of ICE's actions. As this was a federal immigration operation, no additional information has been provided to our city at present."
The Villas at Vista North is a townhome complex near Paul Bunyan Mall.
KAXE reached out to ICE on Thursday night for more information, but as of 9:45 a.m. has not received a response.
Information about detainments began circulating among mutual aid groups and across social media Thursday afternoon. KAXE is working to confirm how many people were detained and the locations where operations may have taken place.
This is a developing story. Check back at kaxe.org as we continue to get more information. Those with additional information can email news@kaxe.org.
-
Contributed/Lakers Girls Golf Instagram PageAlmost 90 Northland students competed at the state golf tournament June 9-10, 2026, around the Twin Cities. -
Jennifer Barr/KAXEKAXE Friday mornings feature "The Sports Page" and during World Cup season, "Futbol is Life!" -
And: A missing Alexandria woman found alive in mud puddle near Backus; a nature-based early learning center opens in Coleraine; and Brainerd boys and Detroit Lakes girls are state golf champions. -
Charlie Mitchell and Heidi Holtan laugh about porcupine sounds, learn about skinks, and delve into the nesting habits of robins.Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe! -
Pam Perry, a retired non-game wildlife biologist, stopped by to talk about skinks, salamanders, swallows and more with our staff phenologist John Latimer. -
Events this week include a send-off for Special Olympians in Bemidji and garden tours at Happy Dancing Turtle in Pine River. -
Contributed/briandjan607 via FlickrThe Emergency Forest Order, which prohibited campfires and charcoal-fueled cookstoves, will be lifted on June 12, 2026. -
Contributed/Bemidji Fire DepartmentThe Bemidji Fire Department responded to the multi-family structure fire in the nearby city of Wilton on June 10, 2026. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEThe Paul Bunyan Playhouse is bringing back professional theater to the Historic Chief Theater for the first full season since 2023. -
Contributed/Cooper BaumgartnerFive years after launching both Festival Rialto and a band, Wild Horses keep evolving while staying grounded in the community that helped launch them.
