Officials: ICE targeting Somalis in Twin Cities; MPD won’t assist

📌 Key Facts

• City officials say they received credible reports that as many as ~100 federal agents will be deployed to the Twin Cities this week to target the Somali community; Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said MPD does not collaborate with ICE on immigration enforcement or share information for that purpose, and several suburbs (Edina, Bloomington, Burnsville, Golden Valley) stated they do not ask about immigration status, are not notified of ICE operations, and will only enforce state/local laws.
• ICE launched "Operation Metro Surge" beginning Dec. 1 and says it arrested 12 noncitizens in the Twin Cities with criminal histories — including one identified as a Somali gang member — with arrestees from Somalia, Mexico and El Salvador; reporting notes some arrested have convictions including child sexual abuse, domestic abuse, assault and DUI.
• DHS officials said roughly half of the cases reviewed in Minnesota were fraudulent and cited more than 95,000 pending immigration applications/petitions in the state (about 6,500 listing Somalia); Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said reviews covered naturalization, H‑1B, marriage fraud and the Ukrainian humanitarian parole program, but DHS did not provide the underlying data behind the "half" figure or full criminal‑charge totals.
• At least 11 immigrants filed lawsuits in December challenging their detention after the roundups (four filed federal lawsuits); plaintiffs — from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Honduras, Egypt and Mexico — cite asylum eligibility, pending visa applications or eligibility for naturalization. Named plaintiffs include Abdul Dahir Ibrahim (arrested Nov. 29, previously ordered removed in 2004, awaiting a hearing) and Mahamed Cabdilaahi Awaale (seeking asylum).
• Political context: President Trump told a cabinet meeting he does not want Somali immigrants in the U.S., accused Somalis of defrauding Minnesota and criticized Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also made comments at the meeting about visas that could affect the Somali community.
• Community response and local impact: protests were planned (an 11 a.m. deportation‑flight protest at MSP Airport and a 3 p.m. community response/press event), Minneapolis leaders and faith groups publicly responded, and some local businesses reported customers staying away out of fear. FOX 9 also recorded two men being questioned by ICE in Minneapolis and asked to produce passports.
• Demographics and scale: census‑based and other estimates place about 33,521 people of Somali descent in Minneapolis, more than 83,000 in the Twin Cities metro and roughly 107,000 statewide (alternative lower estimates exist); about 41,000 Somali Minnesotans are foreign‑born with roughly 87% naturalized, representing about 2.26% of the metro population and 1.88% of the state's population using higher estimates.

📰 Sources (10)