Twin Cities suburbs ban immigration searches on license plate cameras
Jul 21, 2026·Location: Fridley, MN

Multiple Twin Cities suburbs, including Fridley and Hopkins, restricted access to license plate reader data after a Star Tribune investigation revealed law enforcement agencies conducted hundreds of immigration-related searches on camera footage. The cities implemented stricter protocols to prevent use of the data for civil immigration enforcement, which violated the intended purpose of the surveillance infrastructure. The restrictions followed federal immigration enforcement operations that used license plate readers as a 'backdoor' for immigration enforcement without community consent.
Sources
- Fridley police detail who can access Flock Safety camera data amid concerns from residents
- Twin Cities suburbs ban immigration searches on Flock license plate cameras
www2.startribune.com·Jul 31, 2026·archived copy
- Star Tribune
- Feds used data from metro area traffic cameras during ICE surge
minnpost.com·Jul 21, 2026·archived copy
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