A Minneapolis private college faces federal scrutiny after administrators actively interfered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempting to arrest an illegal immigrant student who is a registered sex offender with prior criminal convictions.
Department of Homeland Security officials revealed that Augsburg University staff deliberately obstructed federal agents during the lawful arrest of Jesus Saucedo-Portillo, an illegal alien enrolled as an undergraduate student at the Lutheran-affiliated institution. The arrestee is a convicted sex offender with an existing DWI conviction.
According to DHS statements, ICE agents presented a valid arrest warrant to both a school administrator and campus security personnel. Rather than comply with federal law enforcement, the university administrator declared that ICE officers were violating internal university policies and ordered campus security to physically block the federal law enforcement vehicle from leaving campus.
When ICE agents warned that federal law supersedes university policy and that their actions constituted obstruction of justice, the administrator refused to stand down. The confrontation escalated as the administrator maintained the illegal blockade, forcing officers to use minimal necessary force to complete their lawful duties.
The incident highlights growing concerns about so-called "sanctuary" policies at educational institutions that prioritize political ideology over public safety and the rule of law. Rather than cooperating with federal authorities protecting American communities from criminal aliens, Augsburg University chose to shield a sex offender from accountability.
University President Paul Pribbenow defended the obstructionist actions, claiming the arrest was "illegal" and that ICE lacked proper warrants—assertions directly contradicted by DHS officials who confirmed agents possessed valid arrest warrants and followed proper protocols. Pribbenow even praised students who participated in the anti-law enforcement demonstration, calling the incident "traumatic" while making no mention of the registered sex offender's victims or the danger posed to the community.
The college president stated that no staff or students violated the school's code of conduct, effectively announcing that interfering with federal law enforcement is acceptable behavior at Augsburg University.
This troubling episode underscores the dangerous consequences of sanctuary policies that elevate illegal immigration advocacy above community safety. When educational institutions instruct their employees to obstruct federal officers executing lawful warrants against criminal aliens, they become accomplices to lawlessness and endanger American citizens.
The Constitutional Rights PAC supports the Trump administration's efforts to enforce immigration law and remove dangerous criminal aliens from American communities. Educational institutions receiving federal funding must comply with federal law enforcement, not create safe havens for sex offenders and other criminals simply because of their immigration status.
American students and communities deserve better than administrators who value virtue-signaling over safety.
