ICE storms East Side St. Paul home, detains six including 12‑year‑old; warrant’s validity questioned
Surveillance footage from a home on Nevada Avenue East in St. Paul shows heavily armed federal agents battering down a door and sweeping room to room Thursday, detaining six occupants—including a 12‑year‑old boy later reported by a family friend to have been transferred to an immigration facility in San Antonio. Neighbors who spoke with someone inside say agents claimed to have a search warrant but refused to show it during the raid; a day later, a purported warrant from a Ramsey County judge appeared on the doorstep, lacking a case number, file stamp and standard formatting that a state court spokesperson provided for comparison, and with no record yet of filing. Residents, a Venezuelan family who arrived in 2023, reportedly all had state IDs and work permits, and neighbors say agents told them the operation was part of a narcotics investigation, though outdoor video captured a package delivery minutes before the raid and agents allegedly threatened to arrest everyone if no one claimed the package. DHS did not respond to FOX 9’s questions, leaving basic issues unanswered: whether this was an immigration or drug case, why a child with no apparent charges is now in Texas, and why the paperwork doesn’t look like a standard state warrant. The raid adds another layer to growing fear on the East Side as Operation Metro Surge floods the metro with federal agents, and raises serious questions about warrant practices and whether federal officers are using state‑court processes—or something made to look like them—to punch into Twin Cities homes.
📌 Key Facts
- Federal agents forced entry into a home on Nevada Avenue East in St. Paul on Thursday, captured on interior surveillance, and detained six residents including a 12‑year‑old boy.
- Neighbors say agents asserted they had a warrant but refused to show it; a document purporting to be a state search warrant appeared on the doorstep the next day with a Ramsey County judge’s signature but no case number, no file stamp, and a format that does not match a sample provided by the state courts, and there is no record yet that it was filed.
- A family friend says the 12‑year‑old was transferred to an immigration facility in San Antonio, Texas, and that the other five adults—Venezuelan immigrants with work permits and state IDs—were taken into federal custody at unknown locations.
- Neighbors report agents told the family the raid was part of a narcotics investigation and focused on a package delivered minutes before the breach; outdoor video shows the delivery and a neighbor says agents threatened to arrest everyone if no one claimed the package.
- DHS/ICE did not respond to Fox 9’s inquiries, leaving the legal basis for the raid, the nature of the underlying investigation, and the status of those detained—including the child—unclear.
📊 Relevant Data
The Venezuelan immigrant population in the United States grew by approximately 28% from 2023 to 2024, reaching an estimated number based on Census Bureau data.
In Minnesota, the total number of immigrants from Venezuela was 2,003 as of 2025, representing a small but growing community amid broader immigration trends.
Immigrants from Venezuela in Minnesota by City in 2025 — Zip Atlas
Venezuelan immigrants in the US had an incarceration rate of 241 per 100,000 in 2023, which is lower than the rate for Haitians at 633 per 100,000 and other groups, compared to the overall US incarceration rate.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
Analysis of 2019 data from Colombia, Peru, and Chile shows Venezuelan immigrants commit substantially fewer crimes than the native-born population, relative to their share, with no evidence of higher violent crime rates.
Venezuelan Migration, Crime, and Misperceptions: A Review of Data from Colombia, Peru, and Chile — Brookings
Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan transnational organized crime syndicate, has expanded into the US on the backs of Venezuelan migrants, with DHS identifying over 600 migrants with possible ties as of 2024.
DHS is seeking more than 600 migrants for possible ties to Venezuelan gang — NBC News
The primary causes of Venezuelan migration to the US include economic and political instability, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to over 7 million Venezuelans emigrating since 2015.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
Since the start of 2025, ICE has placed approximately 600 immigrant children in government shelters, setting a new record for child detentions.
ICE sent 600 immigrant kids to detention in federal shelters this year. It's a new record — WLRN
In St. Paul, Minnesota, immigrants constitute 19% of the population, with 57,600 foreign-born residents as of recent data, contributing to demographic changes driven by international migration from 2020 to 2024.
St. Paul, Minnesota — Vera Institute
From 2020 to 2024, immigration accounted for 94% of Minnesota's net population growth, with over 81,000 new immigrants moving to the state, highlighting the role of international migration in demographic changes.
As Boomers die, immigrants propel Minnesota's population growth — MinnPost
Venezuelan immigrants in the US were more likely to be in poverty at 17% in 2023, compared to 14% for all immigrants and 12% for the US-born, potentially linked to recent arrival and integration challenges.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
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