BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — In an extraordinary turn of events, two women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week say they helped an ICE agent through a serious medical emergency — even as they were being transported in custody by federal agents.
According to their accounts, Tippy Amundson, 39, and Heather Zemien, 55, were sitting handcuffed in the back of an ICE SUV on a Brooklyn Park street on Jan. 22 when one of the agents suddenly began having what they recognized as a seizure. The vehicle had only gone a short distance toward its destination near the Whipple Federal Building.
The women say the agent’s body began to flail and his speech broke down, prompting them to urgently tell the driver to pull over and call 911. When the other agents did not respond immediately, both women say they repeatedly pushed for medical help. Amundson — a kindergarten teacher with CPR and first-aid training — was eventually uncuffed and allowed to assist. Zemien, a personal care attendant, lent her own skills as well.
Once freed, Amundson knelt beside the agent, worked to clear his airway and reposition him so he would not choke, and even moved his service weapon out of the way so she could help safely. Zemien used a tactical vest to support his head and urged agents to close vehicle doors to preserve body heat. The two say they guided the emergency response until local medical personnel arrived.
In recounting the episode, both women expressed concern over what they perceived as a lack of basic emergency response training among the agents who were present — a situation they found “unsettling,” given that lives can hang in the balance during medical crises.
Despite their efforts to help the agent — whom they had been detained with — Amundson and Zemien were taken onward to the federal facility anyway. They were ultimately released to a state representative after about an hour, each receiving a citation for impeding federal officers, according to the women’s accounts.
Amundson described the surreal nature of the events: after saving the agent’s life, she asked if she and her friend could simply go home — a request that was refused.
ICE has not publicly responded to questions about this incident or details about policies for medical emergencies during detainee transport, and federal authorities have not offered comment in the news reports that have covered the women’s account.
This incident unfolds amid broader tensions over immigration enforcement in Minnesota, where large federal operations have drawn intense public scrutiny, protests, and legal challenges tied to methods of detaining individuals and the impact on local communities.
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