ICE Descends On Minnesota

Violations of due process rights recorded

(This is the condensed news roundup detailing the ICE and federal immigration raids in Minnesota. This article is based on more comprehensive research for which a link is included at the end, including source links.)

Federal immigration enforcement escalated dramatically across the Twin Cities in early December 2025. Under the banner of “Operation Metro Surge,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a coordinated campaign beginning December 1, resulting in at least 19 disclosed arrests in its first week.

While federal authorities characterized the operation as targeting “the worst of the worst,” including those with criminal records, local reports indicate a wider net was cast. The operation utilized unmarked vehicles, rapid-response teams in tactical gear, and surveillance tactics that have drawn sharp criticism from local officials and civil rights groups.

Somali Community Targeted

The operation targeted Minnesota’s Somali population, the largest in the United States. Reports from the ground indicate heightened surveillance in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood—often called “Little Mogadishu”—and around Somali-centric commerce hubs.

The atmosphere in these neighborhoods has shifted from vibrant to fearful. “I feel scared,” said Fawzi, a bakery employee at Karmel Mall. “You’re sitting in a car and someone approaches you and says, ‘Yo, you gotta come with me.’”

Incident Report: A Week of Raids & Detentions

Burnsville Home Raid (December 6)

In one of the most visible incidents, home surveillance video captured more than a dozen armed federal agents descending on a Burnsville residence. Agents arrested a couple returning from a grocery run, leaving their 7-year-old child behind at the scene.

Another resident, a pregnant woman, described the chaos as agents detained her husband and others. “Pointing their guns at me,” she recalled in an interview, noting she is now left to care for three children alone. The City of Burnsville stated its police force was not notified of the operation and does not participate in such enforcement.

Augsburg University Standoff (December 7)

Tensions flared at Augsburg University when ICE agents in an unmarked car attempted to detain a student in a private campus parking lot. University officials stated that agents refused to produce a judicial warrant when challenged.

The university administration condemned the action as “unacceptable, dangerous, and profoundly disturbing.”

U.S. Citizen Detained in Downtown Minneapolis (December 4)

Fears of racial profiling were realized when ICE agents detained a U.S. citizen—a Somali-American woman born in Edina—near Nicollet Mall. Despite repeatedly insisting on her citizenship, she was zip-tied and held for over 24 hours at the Sherburne County Jail.

She was released only after her husband provided her passport. Her cousin, Evangeline Dhawan-Maloney, expressed outrage: “It’s the kind of thing that we see happening in Third World countries and authoritarian governments... ICE doesn’t have jurisdiction over United States citizens.”

Highway 77 Traffic Stop (December 5)

A 45-year-old mother was blocked in by several unmarked SUVs while driving on Highway 77 to pick up her sick child from school. Her attorney, Steven Thal, stated she holds “withholding of removal” status, meaning a judge had previously ruled she could not be deported to Somalia.

“She’s able to live and work here in the United States,” Thal noted. “She’s paid her taxes, she’s filed for work permits, she’s stayed out of trouble.”

Karmel Mall Surveillance (December 3-4)

Activity around the Karmel Mall was heavy, with witnesses spotting vehicles bearing Virginia license plates and agents in “ERO” (Enforcement and Removal Operations) gear questioning individuals on the street.

In response, the mall quieted significantly, with some shops closing doors. Notices appeared at entrances reading, “No ICE allowed without a court order,” while volunteers stood outside in freezing temperatures with whistles to warn shoppers of federal presence.

Rochester Activity

The reach of federal agents extended beyond the metro area. In Rochester, video circulated showing a man being detained by federal agents, sparking alarm in the local Somali community and prompting calls for vigilance.

St. Paul Rose Avenue Raid (November 25)

Preceding the December surge, agents targeted a home on Rose Avenue to arrest a Honduran national. The operation drew a crowd of nearly 200 protesters. The situation turned volatile when federal agents and St. Paul police used pepper spray and projectiles to disperse the crowd. Community leaders later decried the police response as “inhumane and outrageous.”

Bro-Tex Workplace Raid (November 19)

In a precursor to the current wave, agents executed a search warrant at the Bro-Tex paper products business in St. Paul, arresting 14 workers. The Immigrant Defense Network described the raid as “a violent operation that left families terrified, workers missing, and community observers shoved, assaulted with pepper spray and chemical agents.”

Infrastructure of Deportation

Deportation Flights from MSP

On December 6, aviation spotter Nick Benson documented a convoy of DHS vans on the tarmac at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He observed approximately 14 individuals being shackled and directed to “hobble up the steps” onto a Global Crossing flight. The flight path reportedly routed through Omaha to a deportation hub in Louisiana.

Target Parking Lot Staging Allegations

Controversy erupted over reports that ICE agents were using the parking lot of the Lake Street Target as a staging ground for operations.

Protesters gathered to demand the retailer ban such activities. Jaylani Hussein of CAIR-MN, a co-founder of the boycott, stated, “Our community and our state is under attack... We are Minnesotans. And we say to President Trump... We stand with each other, and we will not be divided.”

Community and Official Response

Rapid Response Networks Mobilize

Immigrant rights groups like MIRAC and COPAL report being flooded with tips, with alerts of ICE activity sometimes arriving “minutes apart.” Volunteers are distributing “Know Your Rights” cards in Somali and Oromo, while rapid response networks are being tested unlike anything seen in recent years.

Schools & Cities Push Back

School districts, including Hopkins and St. Louis Park, have vowed to deny federal agents entry without a judicial order, citing a rise in absenteeism due to fear.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued an executive order prohibiting ICE from using city-owned lots for staging, directly responding to the Target lot allegations. “City parking lots need to be used for City purposes, which do not include civil immigration enforcement,” Frey declared.

Download the full research document with source citations [PDF]