Pawlenty: Won’t seek endorsement

in governor race

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says he plans to skip next month’s Republican state convention and go straight to the August primary.

Pawlenty’s move means he won’t seek the party endorsement. In a statement Tuesday, his campaign says the two-term governor entered the race too late for to have a “fair fight” for the endorsement.

Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson is seen as the front-runner for endorsement, which brings party support and money.

Pawlenty says he’ll make his case to voters in the Aug. 14 primary instead.

Pawlenty entered the race for his old seat last month.

ICE officials arrest 78 in

five-state immigration sweep

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have arrested 78 people in a five-state immigration sweep in the Midwest.

Officials say the arrests happened over six days. Iowa and Nebraska each saw 25 arrests, while there were 15 arrests in Minnesota, 10 in South Dakota and three in North Dakota.

ICE says the operation targeted those who have criminal records, are public safety threats or violated immigration laws.

Sixty-two of the people arrested had prior criminal convictions; 31 had illegally re-entered the United States after having been previously deported.

Most of the people arrested are from Mexico. The arrests also included people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, the Ivory Coast and Sudan.

They will remain in ICE custody pending additional proceedings.