Man Being Deported After Transit Officer Asked About Status

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A light-rail passenger seen in a video being questioned by a Minneapolis Metro Transit Police officer about his immigration status is now in deportation proceedings.

After video of the May 14 incident was posted on Facebook by another passenger, police Chief John Harrington said it's not his department's policy to question riders about their immigration status. In another statement Saturday, he said his agency is "working to re-establish the trust that was broken by this isolated incident."

The Star Tribune reported that 23-year-old Ariel Vences-Lopez was arrested for fare evasion and giving a false name. But Harrington said the Mexican national's immigration status was never referenced in his office's police reports.

Harrington said the officer who questioned Vences-Lopez in the video is no longer with the department.