St. Paul Toy Store Faces Federal Audit After Criticizing ICE

The store, a family-run business operating for 27 years, gained attention for distributing 3D-printed whistles designed to alert community members to federal enforcement activity. Adelsheim-Marshall described these as a nonviolent form of protest against an agency she claims is terrorizing the local immigrant population. Shortly after her interview with ABC News aired—and following a DHS social media post referencing the whistle campaign—two agents arrived to demand federal I-9 forms, tax returns, and payroll records for the store’s five employees.

Co-owner Dan Marshall, who received the notice, was given only three business days to comply. He maintains that the timing of the audit is no coincidence, suggesting the store was targeted specifically for the content of his daughter's interview. Observers, including Media Matters senior fellow Matthew Gertz, characterized the move as an attempt to punish dissent. Despite the pressure, the owners and their community have remained defiant. On the Saturday following the audit delivery, the shop reported selling 250 anti-ICE yard signs within the first three hours of operation.