Community members share mixed reactions after sheriff’s Facebook post on immigrations enforcement

MANTORVILLE, Minn. (KTTC) – On Wednesday evening, Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose wrote on his agency’s Facebook, detailing a visit from ICE agents to his department. The social media post also included his thoughts on what is transpiring in Minnesota with federal immigration enforcement.

According to the sheriff, there was no incident at his office; rather, the federal officers needed to use the restroom. He said the federal officers were looking for a man they said was wanted for pre-meditated first-degree murder and raping a child—that he had been on the run since the early 90s.

Rose explained the agents were being followed by, what he called, “an agitator” for hours in the Rochester area. He said the ICE officers stopped trying to find the man they were looking for because of the anonymous person’s alleged harassment and behavior.

After detailing his interaction with the person, Rose shared his thoughts on the current political climate of Minnesota. Part of his Facebook post read, “We need to remember these men and women serving as ICE agents aren’t responsible for the broken system, our government is. Many mistakes were made during Metro Surge. Mistakes made because of poor leadership all too often motivated by politics.”

KTTC reached out to the sheriff for an interview regarding his Facebook post. At this time, we have not received a response. However, Dodge County community members have split reactions on Rose’s message.

“I support Scott,” said Kelly Johnson. “Even from the very beginning when all this started to happen, I know I felt so wrong about what was going on up in the cities. I knew when I saw the agitators, I thought this has to stop. I remember thinking we can’t have this happen again.”

“One bad ICE agent?” Diane O’Brien said on the other hand. “Renee Good and Alex Pretti were assassinated by groups of untrained, masked people allowed to carry deadly weapons and kill without discretion. I don’t approve of my sheriff publicly supporting murderers.”

Johnson believed first responders deserve more respect from the community for the selfless work that they do to protect their neighbors. O’Brien said Americans deserve an unbiased law enforcement—that the elected official should not have posted on the official county sheriff’s office Facebook page.

“Had he posted on Scott Rose’s page and not the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department page as the paid sheriff who is being paid through our taxes, I wouldn’t have said a word,” O’Brien said. “It would have been one individual’s right to oppose whatever was happening around him.”

“I think we need to respect what he has to say,” Johnson said. “I know it’s a hot topic right now. Our family is divided on it. I think most families are and it’s a tough one, but I do respect what Scott had to post and I appreciate his words out there.”

Rose also said in his post that he has family on both sides of the topic. He said one thing both sides can agree on is that the country’s immigration system is broken and needs a lot of work.

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