St. Peter nurse sues after ICE arrest, says it caused PTSD, chronic back pain

The Brief On Nov. 9 in Minnesota federal court, St. Peter nurse Jamie Martens sued the United States, saying immigration agents unlawfully followed, boxed in and arrested her on Jan. 29 in Saint Peter. The complaint says agents pulled Martens from her vehicle at gunpoint, hurt her back and hips and drove her toward St. Paul before bringing her back without filing charges. Martens is seeking $550,000, saying the arrest left her with ongoing back treatments, PTSD, missed work and other damages. ST. PETER, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Peter nurse says in a new federal lawsuit that immigration agents violently arrested her while she was observing enforcement activity during Operation Metro Surge . St. Peter lawsuit details unfold What we know: The complaint filed Nov. 9 in U.S. District Court in Minnesota says 47-year-old Jamie Martens is a registered nurse administrative supervisor at St. Peter State Hospital. The filing says she has a nursing degree from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth and had been alerting people in St. Peter about ICE activity tied to Operation Metro Surge. The backstory: According to court documents, Martens drove to the north side of St. Peter on Jan. 29 to help other observers who said they felt unsafe. The filing says she and another observer stayed in their vehicles about two blocks from a red Mazda before the Mazda started leaving and the other observer followed it. The complaint says Martens then headed south on Highway 169 toward Marway Mobile Home Park because she was worried ICE vehicles were following school buses home and because the red Mazda was moving in that direction. She alleges the Mazda waited on the shoulder for her, agents photographed her as she passed and another SUV with Georgia plates slowed to less than 20 mph in front of her. The complaint says three unmarked vehicles followed Martens and never used sirens, flashing lights or other signs that they were law enforcement. Martens says she drove toward the St. Peter police station, but a red Mazda blocked the road while two other vehicles boxed her in from the side and rear. Martens alleges agents got out with guns pointed at her, did not identify themselves and demanded she get out of the vehicle. The filing says agents opened her door, unbuckled her seat belt, pulled on her arms, dragged her onto the pavement and knelt on her lower back and hips as observers, including her husband, called 911. Response, injuries and court path Timeline: The complaint says masked agents handcuffed Martens, put her in an SUV and drove north toward the Whipple Building in St. Paul. It says St. Peter Police Chief Matt Grochow later contacted ICE, the SUV turned around before reaching St. Paul and agents left her at the St. Peter police station, where no charges were filed. Martens says the arrest worsened injuries from recent hip surgery and physical therapy and caused a tear in the L4 disc in her back. According to the complaint, she now gets radio frequency ablation about four times a year, has been diagnosed with PTSD and has missed work and used paid time off for treatment. The complaint says video of agents pointing guns at Martens went viral and was later shown at a Feb. 12 Senate hearing involving ICE Director Todd Lyons. It also says a Jan. 31 Homeland Security social media statement called her an "agitator" and claimed she tried to ram agents and drove recklessly, which Martens disputes in the lawsuit. What's next: After more than six months without a decision, the lawsuit says those claims were treated as denied, which cleared the way for the federal case. Martens is suing under a federal law that allows certain claims against the government, and she is seeking $550,000 for alleged assault, battery, false arrest, negligence and emotional distress. What we don't know: The lawsuit does not identify the agents by name, listing them only as John Does 1 through 5. The filing also does not include a formal court response from the United States to Martens' allegations. The complaint says no agent wrote a use-of-force report, but that remains an allegation in the filing. The court record included with the lawsuit also does not show any ruling on Martens' claims. The Source: Federal court complaint filed Nov. 9 in U.S. District Court for Minnesota. Immigration Minneapolis ICE shooting Crime and Public Safety