DOC to hold detainer briefing as it disputes ICE 'criminal alien' claims
Minnesota’s Department of Corrections will hold a 10:30 a.m. news conference to rebut federal claims that 1,360 “criminal illegal aliens” are in state custody, releasing updated, precise counts of non‑citizen inmates, how many have ICE detainers, and how often inmates are turned over to ICE at sentence end. State officials and county sheriffs say they notify ICE and DOC routinely transfers eligible people, while local jails won’t hold inmates past release on civil detainers and have reported ICE declined some pick‑ups due to Metro Surge operations — a dispute unfolding amid a larger federal‑state fight over the surge and related political rhetoric.
📌 Key Facts
- Minnesota DOC will hold a live news conference Thursday at 10:30 a.m. specifically on ICE detainers, signaling it intends to use real-time media briefings — not just filings or data releases — to rebut federal claims.
- The DOC briefing is scheduled within the same media window as ICE and Border Patrol’s 9 a.m. surge update, indicating a coordinated effort by state corrections to respond to the federal narrative in real time.
- DOC provided updated, precise numbers on non‑citizens in state prison, how many have ICE detainers, and how often inmates are released directly to ICE at sentence end, challenging the White House/ICE "1,360 criminal illegal aliens in custody" talking point.
- Hennepin and other county sheriffs say they notified ICE about detainees with detainers but were told agents were 'too busy' with Metro Surge operations to pick them up before release, contradicting DHS social‑media claims that local jails 'refused' to honor detainers.
- Reporting highlights a legal and policy distinction: while DOC says it routinely transfers eligible non‑citizens to ICE on release, county jails (like Hennepin) will not hold people past their state release time solely on a civil detainer but do notify ICE as required — a distinction federal messaging has blurred.
- The dispute over numbers and specific cases is framed within a broader federal–state court and political battle over Operation Metro Surge and Republican impeachment/Insurrection Act rhetoric, with critics saying DHS’s inflated statistics are being used to justify the surge.
📊 Relevant Data
As of January 2026, Minnesota's state prison population is approximately 8,000 individuals, with only 207 (less than 3%) being non-U.S. citizens.
Minnesota Dept of Corrections says DHS lied about it not complying — Fox News
ICE arrested Andriu Javier Padron-Chacare, a Venezuelan and confirmed Tren de Aragua gang member, in Minneapolis as part of enforcement operations.
ICE Continues Arresting Worst of the Worst in Sanctuary Minneapolis — Department of Homeland Security
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and pay about $67 million in state and local taxes.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
The Somali community in Minnesota shows a high entrepreneurship rate with 22% self-employment.
Minnesota's Somali residents largely work in a few key industries — Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
Illegal immigrants in the U.S. have an incarceration rate of 613 per 100,000, which is lower than that of native-born Americans.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Reveals that Minnesota DOC will hold a 10:30 a.m. news conference Thursday explicitly on ICE detainers, not just releasing written statements or data.
- Places that DOC briefing in the same media window as ICE’s and Border Patrol’s 9 a.m. surge update, indicating a coordinated attempt by state corrections to rebut the federal narrative in real time.
- Signals that DOC is prepared to use live media, rather than just court filings and data sheets, to argue it does not "refuse" to work with ICE — a direct response to claims the article previously documented as inflated or misleading.
- DOC provides updated, precise numbers of non‑citizens currently in state prison, how many have ICE detainers, and how often inmates are released directly to ICE at sentence end, undercutting the White House’s '1,360 criminal illegal aliens in custody' talking point.
- Hennepin and other county sheriffs describe, on the record, specific cases where they notified ICE about detainees with detainers and were told agents were 'too busy' with Metro Surge operations in the Twin Cities to pick them up before release — directly contradicting DHS social‑media claims that local jails 'refused' to honor detainers.
- The piece clarifies how DOC law and county policies differ: DOC says it routinely transfers eligible non‑citizens to ICE on release, while jails like Hennepin will not hold people past their state release time solely on a civil detainer, but *do* notify ICE as required — exposing federal attempts to blur those distinctions in public messaging.
- The reporting situates these numbers and examples in the broader federal–state court battle over Operation Metro Surge and in House Republicans’ impeachment talk, showing how DHS’s inflated stats are being used to justify the surge and talk of using the Insurrection Act in Minnesota.