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Several groups, including the Minnesota Council of Churches, protested outside of the Whipple Federal Building in St. Paul, Minnesota Tuesday morning demanding the name of the building be changed.

Unlike recent name changes like Alexander Ramsey Middle School becoming Justice Page or Lake Calhoun changing to Bde Maka Ska, the people who will be gathering outside the Whipple Building don’t have a problem with Bishop Henry Whipple was, but what agencies work inside the building.

Bishop Whipple was the first episcopal bishop in Minnesota and persuaded President Abraham Lincoln to pardon many of the 303 Dakota Indian who were sentenced to death following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

Currently the building houses many government agencies, including the Minneapolis offices of both Immigration Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security.


It is the function of those to agencies Whipple's supports are citing as the reason for the name change, saying Bishop Whipple would not want to be associated with an agency that is tasked with deporting people.