Metro Transit
Saturday, 27 May 2017 at 11:41am CDT · 

A statement from Metro Transit Police Chief John Harrington:
Metro Transit remains committed to ensuring its officers protect our communities and act in accordance with the high
standards expected of them. Our policies and procedures reflect our commitment that our officers will not act as immigration
officers.
On May 23rd, Metro Transit first became aware that an officer questioned a rider about his immigration status. Immediately,
our focus turned to ensuring that our officers fully understand and adhere to our policy regarding immigration status. The
policy has been updated to explicitly state that Metro Transit officers will “ensure equal enforcement of the law and equal
service to all persons regardless of their immigration status.” We also are working to reestablish the trust that was broken by
this isolated incident.
As our internal investigation proceeded, we understood that Vences-Lopez had been released from the custody of the
Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. Believing that he was free and scheduled for a June Hennepin County court appearance,
our goal was to explore options for him, such as the possibility of some diversion, rather than a court date.
We learned on the evening of Friday, May 25th that Vences-Lopez was in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody
and was scheduled for deportation. Vences-Lopez was first brought to the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center on
Sunday, May 14 for fare evasion. There was no reference to his immigration status in the police reports, nor did MTPD
notify ICE or any other agency of any immigration-related concerns. As is standard procedure, he was placed in the custody
of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. We now know that on May 16th, three days before the video of the interaction was
posted, he was placed in ICE custody.
We continue to reach out to community partners to notify them of updated information. We are also working to address the
issues raised by community members. The officer seen in the video is no longer an employee of the Metro Transit Police
Department. We have initiated a process for posting the Metro Transit Police Department’s manual online, making it publicly
accessible.
Metro Transit officers come into contact with thousands of riders on a daily basis. We strongly value our relationship with all
of the communities we serve and fully understand the importance of our riders’ need to feel confident that they can interact
with our officers without fear. The image of a single officer’s questioning immigration status is not reflective of, nor does it
represent, the practices and procedures of Metro Transit officers.