Augsburg Campus Clash: DHS Says Administrator Blocked ICE Arrest Of Student; University Disputes Account

A Minneapolis private college is at the center of a dispute after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused school staff of interfering with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation.

A mugshot of illegal immigrant Jesus Saucedo-Portillo who, according to DHS, is a sex offender and has a prior conviction for driving while intoxicated. Photo distributed on Dec. 8, 2025.

On Monday evening DHS said on X that ICE agents arrested Jesus Saucedo-Portillo, whom the agency described as an undocumented immigrant, a registered sex offender and someone with a prior conviction for driving while impaired. According to DHS, the arrest was complicated when a campus administrator coordinated with campus security to block ICE from leaving the property.

A busy Augsburg College campus showing fall colors on Oct. 29, 2003.

“Our officers told the school Administrator and campus security that ICE had a warrant for the illegal alien's arrest. The school Administrator told ICE officers they were violating university policies,” DHS said. “Our officers informed them that federal law supersedes any University policy and that if campus security would not stop blocking the law enforcement vehicle from exiting, they would be obstructing justice.”

DHS said the administrator refused to back down and ordered campus security to position themselves so the ICE vehicle could not depart. The agency added that its officers used what they described as the minimum force necessary to clear the area and complete the arrest.

Voters fill out their ballots in a polling place at Augsburg University on Nov. 3, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Augsburg University President Paul Pribbenow confirmed that Saucedo-Portillo is an undergraduate at the school but disputed DHS’s version of events. Pribbenow said the arrest was "illegal" and that ICE did not have a warrant. He also said ICE agents drew their weapons in view of staff and students who had gathered near the scene, after which students contacted campus security and triggered the university’s protocol for an ICE presence on campus.

Pribbenow praised students who confronted ICE, saying the response demonstrated courage amid a hectic and traumatic event, and he said no staff or students violated the university’s code of conduct. Augsburg officials did not respond to multiple other requests for comment.

The incident raises questions about campus safety protocols, the boundaries between university policies and federal law enforcement actions, and the appropriate responses by campus officials when federal agents operate on school property. Both DHS and Augsburg present contrasting accounts; further information may emerge as investigations or statements continue.