Residents urge council to protect community from aggressive federal enforcement; council hears two public commenters

Two residents addressed the Willmar City Council during the open forum on Jan. 28 to raise concerns about federal enforcement activity and community safety.

Deanna Schuler, who identified herself as a long‑time Willmar resident, said she feared for her granddaughter’s safety and urged the council to "protect her," recounting family ties to the city and saying, "I will die before they take her." Schuler also described watching police officers with binoculars during a related incident and questioned which community members were being protected.

Roy Stiff related a separate incident in which federal agents stopped a handicapped friend who was seeking medical care. Stiff said the agents would not explain why they had stopped his friend, that they asked for identification and then released the person without answering questions, and that some agents were "masked" and not in uniform. Stiff asked the council and community, "How do we know who we can trust?" and called for the community to stand together.

Neither speaker asked for a specific council vote at the meeting; both remarks were recorded during the public comment period and were not acted on during the session.