Minnesota ICE Sweep Detains Libyan Asylum Seeker With Rare Skin Disease in Medically Risky Conditions
A recent Minnesota ICE sweep detained a Libyan asylum seeker who had been in the state for treatment of a rare skin disease, raising concerns that his detention placed him in medically risky conditions. St. Paul officials and pediatricians say the operation has fueled widespread fear—particularly in the Hmong community, where businesses report 60–70% losses and residents are afraid to leave home—and coincided with reports of children suffering trauma and incidents involving chemical irritants, tear gas, and detentions that challenge DHS’s claim it is targeting only the most violent offenders.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her says Operation Metro Surge has left many stalls in Hmong Village — a key hub for the nation’s largest Hmong community — standing empty because people are too afraid to go out.
- Hmong Village vendors tell the mayor their businesses are down 60–70%, leaving many unable to cover roughly $1,400‑a‑month booth rents.
- Hmong residents, including the mayor’s own naturalized‑citizen parents, are reportedly afraid to leave their homes and are keeping children home from school despite being U.S. citizens or legal residents.
- Mayor Kaohly Her — St. Paul’s first Asian American and first woman mayor — says U.S. citizens are being detained or targeted 'just by the way they look and the way that they sound,' challenging DHS’s claim it is only going after the 'worst of the worst.'
- Pediatrician Dr. Razaan Byrne at Children’s Minnesota reports that every patient seen in a recent clinic day described increased stress, trauma, anxiety and depression related to ICE presence, with symptoms including emotional outbursts and regression such as bed‑wetting.
- Recent specific incidents reported include ICE using chemical irritants on a crowd that included students during school dismissal; tear gas affecting a family in a car and sending a 6‑month‑old baby to the hospital; and federal officers detaining a 5‑year‑old child whose whereabouts remain unknown.
- Columbia Heights Public School District superintendent Zena Stenvik says three other district students under 18 have been detained by federal agents in recent weeks and questions DHS’s assertion that its operations target only violent criminals.
đź“° Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 22, 2026
9:01 AM
The ICE surge is fueling fear and anxiety among Twin Cities children
New information:
- Pediatrician Dr. Razaan Byrne at Children’s Minnesota reports every patient seen in a recent clinic day discussed increased stress, trauma, anxiety and depression stemming from ICE presence, with symptoms including emotional outbursts and regression such as bed‑wetting.
- Article describes specific recent incidents involving children: ICE use of chemical irritants on a crowd that included students during school dismissal; tear gas affecting a family in a car and sending a 6‑month‑old baby to the hospital; and federal officers in Columbia Heights detaining a 5‑year‑old boy whose whereabouts remain unknown.
- Columbia Heights Public School District superintendent Zena Stenvik says three other district students under 18 have been detained by federal agents in recent weeks and questions DHS’s claim that it is targeting only violent criminals.
2:12 AM
St. Paul mayor says city's Hmong community "afraid to leave their homes" due to ICE
New information:
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her says Hmong Village marketplace, a key hub for the nation’s largest Hmong community, now has many stalls standing empty because people are too afraid to go out during Operation Metro Surge.
- Her reports Hmong Village vendors telling her business is down 60–70%, leaving many unable to cover roughly $1,400‑a‑month booth rents.
- She says Hmong residents — including her own naturalized‑citizen parents — are 'afraid to leave their homes' and are keeping children home from school out of fear of ICE, despite being U.S. citizens or legal residents.
- Her, the first Asian American and first woman mayor of St. Paul, says U.S. citizens are being detained or targeted 'just by the way they look and the way that they sound,' challenging DHS’s narrative that only 'the worst of the worst' are at risk.
January 18, 2026