ICE 'Metro Surge' arrests rise to at least 19 in Twin Cities; DHS names gang member and sex offenders
ICE's "Operation Metro Surge," launched in the Twin Cities on Dec. 1 to target individuals with final deportation orders, has produced at least 19 arrests — including several Somali nationals and others DHS identifies as criminal noncitizens, among them an alleged gang member and convicted sex offenders charged with sexual abuse and other crimes. The operation has prompted local pushback (Minneapolis banned use of city‑owned parking lots for immigration actions) and comes amid broader Trump administration efforts to crack down on Somali immigrants and review protections such as TPS.
📌 Key Facts
- ICE launched 'Operation Metro Surge' in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area beginning Dec. 1 to arrest individuals with deportation orders; DHS/ICE first reported at least 12 criminal noncitizen arrests and on Dec. 5 announced seven additional arrests, bringing the running total to at least 19.
- Arrestees reported by DHS/ICE include Somali nationals and criminal noncitizens from Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Guatemala.
- DHS named multiple accused criminals among those arrested, including individuals alleged to have gang ties (e.g., Abdulkadir Sharif Abdi with reported Gangster Disciples/Vice Lords ties), sex‑offense convictions involving minors (e.g., Sahal Osman Shidane — criminal sexual conduct, victim 13–15), robbery/assault convictions (e.g., Mukhtar Mohamed Ali), a DOJ‑charged convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping and rape (Abdimahat Bille Mohamed), and other suspects tied to drug trafficking, alien smuggling, DUI and aggravated assault; one arrest list also included an alleged member of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin publicly criticized local 'sanctuary' policies and vowed continued arrests and removals of criminal noncitizens.
- Minneapolis responded locally: Mayor Jacob Frey signed an executive order banning city law enforcement use of city‑owned parking lots/ramps/garages to stage civil immigration enforcement and his office distributed a notice template for small businesses and residences to deter such operations.
- Reporting framed the operation as targeting 'mostly Somali immigrants'; local demographic context from CBS: Minnesota has roughly 76,000 people of Somali descent (about 52% U.S.‑born, 42% naturalized, ~4,000 noncitizens) and roughly 430 Somali TPS holders in Minnesota (about 700 nationwide as of March).
- A high‑profile arrestee, Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, is identified as a Somali national with a 2004 final removal order, prior convictions and alleged fraud in Canada, a roughly 10‑year history on Temporary Protected Status with a TPS application pending since 2023, and publicly available photos and recommendation letters linking him to several Minnesota politicians.
- The coverage also places the operation in the context of federal policy moves and rhetoric: reporting cites President Trump’s incendiary language toward Somalis, his stated plan to end Somalia TPS (not yet formally announced by DHS), and broader directives including a pause on immigration case decisions for nationals of 19 travel‑ban countries and re‑examination of green cards issued to those nationals.
📊 Relevant Data
More than $1 billion in taxpayers' money has been stolen through three investigated fraud plots targeting Minnesota's social services programs, largely attributed to members of Minnesota's Somali diaspora over the last five years.
How Fraud Swamped Minnesota’s Social Services System on Tim Walz’s Watch — The New York Times
59 people have been convicted in fraud schemes where individuals from the Somali diaspora set up companies that billed state agencies for millions of dollars in unprovided social services.
How Fraud Swamped Minnesota’s Social Services System on Tim Walz’s Watch — The New York Times
DHS investigations found approximately half of the immigration cases investigated in Minnesota were fraudulent, in a targeted operation in Minneapolis–St. Paul.
DHS claims half of visas in Minnesota are fraudulent, total number not shared — FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
There are more than 95,000 pending immigration applications and petitions in Minnesota, approximately 6,500 of which list Somalia as a country of origin.
DHS claims half of visas in Minnesota are fraudulent, total number not shared — FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
In 2024, there were around 108,000 residents of Somali descent in Minnesota, representing about 2% of the state's population.
Most Somali people in America and Minnesota are citizens — Minnesota Reformer
📊 Analysis & Commentary (2)
"A critical commentary arguing that the planned ICE operation targeting Minnesota Somalis is politically motivated, harmful to communities, and exposes the hypocrisy of progressive symbolism (like land acknowledgments) while urging pragmatic, humane policy over mass 'remigration' enforcement."
"A conservative City Journal commentary uses reporting on a planned ICE/Minnesota probe of Somali‑linked fraud and enforcement activity to challenge liberal narratives that dismiss enforcement concerns, arguing the case undermines assumptions about immigrant vetting and demands accountability."
📰 Sources (7)
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed an executive order this week banning law enforcement from using any city‑owned parking lots, ramps, garages, or vacant lots to stage civil immigration enforcement operations.
- Frey’s staff is distributing a notice template for small businesses and homes to deter civil immigration enforcement in private spaces.
- The local moves come as Minneapolis braces for an ICE operation targeting Somali immigrants over visa fraud.
- DHS/ICE announced seven additional arrests in Minneapolis under Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 5, bringing the running total to at least 19.
- Named arrestees include: Andriu Javier Padron‑Chacare (Venezuela, alleged Tren de Aragua member, theft conviction, previously deported); Humberto Disla Sarita (Dominican Republic, conspiracy to import ≥50 kg cocaine conviction); Job Catani Cardenas (Ecuador, domestic assault conviction); Ernesto Vides‑Cabrera (Guatemala, DUI and assault convictions).
- Somali nationals Abdi Gelle Mohamed (sexual abuse of a minor), Sahal Osman Shidane (criminal sexual conduct, victim 13–15), and Mukhtar Mohamed Ali (robbery, domestic assault) also listed in the new tranche.
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a hardline statement attributing sanctuary policies to state/local leaders and warning criminal noncitizens to depart.
- Identifies one arrestee as Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, a Somali national with a 2004 final removal order whose appeals were denied in 2006.
- Details past convictions: Canadian asylum and welfare fraud; a Jan. 23, 2002 Dakota County conviction for providing false information to police and driving without a valid license.
- Notes Ibrahim entered the U.S. in 1995 after deportation from Canada and has accrued 12 traffic/parking citations.
- States he was granted Temporary Protected Status for approximately 10 years and has a TPS application pending since 2023.
- Reports photographs of Ibrahim with Minnesota politicians Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar; and that Minneapolis CM Jamal Osman and State Sen. Omar Fateh wrote recommendation letters on his behalf.
- DHS says at least 12 criminal noncitizens were arrested in Minneapolis under 'Operation Metro Surge,' which began Dec. 1.
- Arrestees include 5 Somali nationals, 6 Mexican nationals, and 1 from El Salvador.
- Named arrestees and convictions include: Abdulkadir Sharif Abdi (Gangster Disciples/Vice Lords ties; fraud, stolen property/vehicles, probation violations); Sahal Osman Shidane (criminal sexual conduct with a minor, age 13–15); Mukthar Mohamed Ali (assault, fraud, robbery, larceny).
- Two Mexican nationals arrested include one convicted of felony alien smuggling and another for aggravated assault with a weapon.
- DOJ filed federal charges against Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, a convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping and raping a woman he met on Snapchat.
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement criticizing local 'sanctuary' policies and vowing continued arrests and removals.
- A U.S. official told CBS News ICE began ‘enhanced operations’ this week in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area targeting individuals with deportation orders.
- President Trump, at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, used incendiary language about Somalis (“garbage,” “contribute nothing”) while backing a sweeping deportation campaign.
- CBS reiterates broader policy moves: a pause on immigration case decisions for nationals of 19 travel‑ban countries and an ordered re‑examination of green cards issued to those nationals.
- Trump said he is ending TPS for Somalia, though DHS has not formally announced termination; Somalia’s current TPS is set to expire in March 2026.
- Updated Minnesota Somali community context: about 76,000 people of Somali descent; 52% U.S.-born, 42% naturalized; roughly 4,000 are non‑citizens; approximately 430 Somali TPS holders in Minnesota (about 700 nationwide as of March).
- Officials say the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis has begun.
- CBS frames the target as "mostly Somali immigrants" and notes local context that about 95% of ~80,000 Somalis in Minnesota are U.S. citizens.
- Includes a cited Trump remark: "I don't want them in our country."