Videos and court records undercut DHS claims about Twin Cities ICE raids and shootings
Surveillance and bystander videos of a Minneapolis ICE shooting show a Venezuelan man running, stumbling and trying to rise — not brandishing a gun when he was shot — while document comparisons and a federal judge’s order revealed that the St. Paul Nevada Avenue E raid lacked a valid state warrant, leading to the release of six detained family members after DHS failed to produce proper paperwork. Those discrepancies have unfolded amid Operation Metro Surge, which has generated hundreds of habeas petitions (many resulting in release or bond hearings), sharp political and legal pushback, and widespread fear that has crippled immigrant businesses — one Iranian‑owned market and taquería in south Minneapolis reports sales down 55–60% and has closed its taquería side.
📌 Key Facts
- A roughly eight-week Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities knit together multiple enforcement actions — including the Renee Good killing, two separate ICE shootings, battering‑ram raids, and targeted actions at the airport, child‑care sites and restaurants — prompting sustained community disruption.
- Synchronized surveillance and bystander videos from the second Minneapolis shooting (Hawthorne) show the Venezuelan man running, stumbling and trying to get up as agents closed in and do not show him pointing a gun at officers at the moment he was shot in the leg, contradicting DHS’s initial implication.
- In a high‑profile St. Paul East Side raid on Nevada Avenue E, neighbors and a family friend say agents never produced a warrant at the door; the document left on the doorstep lacked a case number, file stamp and probable‑cause narrative and did not match standard state‑court formats.
- A federal judge ordered DHS to produce a valid warrant or release six detained Venezuelan family members; DHS failed to meet the deadline and the court ordered all six freed within 72 hours, undermining the agency’s later claim that it had a proper search warrant.
- Hundreds of immigrant habeas petitions have been filed in Minnesota federal court in recent weeks, with a large majority resulting in releases or bond hearings; some federal rulings have found aspects of ICE’s tactics unconstitutional.
- Local reporters’ detailed questions about key discrepancies (the suspect’s posture when shot, defects in the Nevada Avenue document) went unanswered or were declined by DHS, while independent video timelines and document analysis exposed significant gaps between DHS talking points and what appears to have happened on the ground.
- The enforcement surge has had major community and economic effects: multiple school districts moved to opt‑in online learning, students staged walkouts and general‑strike calls ('ICE Out of MN') shut down immigrant business corridors; immigrant‑serving businesses reported steep revenue drops and some closures.
- South Minneapolis market Sabores De Mexico — owned by a U.S. citizen originally from Iran — reported business down 55–60% and closed its taquería because staff (some with legal papers) were too afraid of encountering ICE; the owner also said he cannot reach relatives in Iran amid crackdowns there, compared the climate to 'living in North Korea,' and said he 'cannot wait' for ICE to leave Minnesota.
- The enforcement actions prompted political escalation, including a House Democratic impeachment bid against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, DOJ grand‑jury subpoenas to Minnesota officials (Walz, Ellison, Frey, Her and Moriarty), and public threats from former President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis.
📊 Relevant Data
Venezuelans had the lowest incarceration rate among illegal immigrants at 241 per 100,000 from 2010 to 2023, compared to 1,322 per 100,000 for U.S. citizens.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and pay about $67 million in state and local taxes, with around 80,000 Somalis in Minnesota.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
Somalis started arriving in Minnesota in 1992 as refugees fleeing civil war, with the majority arriving as refugees or through family sponsorship, making Minnesota home to the largest Somali population in the United States.
Somali and Somali American Experiences in Minnesota — MNopedia
From 2010 to 2015, Minnesota had the fastest growing foreign-born labor force in the nation at +23%, with more than 56,000 foreign-born workers joining.
The Growth and Impact of Minnesota's Foreign-Born Workforce — Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota was initiated to apprehend individuals involved in fraud and arrest criminal noncitizens, resulting in over 400 arrests since December 2025.
ICE arrested a confirmed member of the Tren de Aragua gang in Minnesota who was wanted for murder, racketeering, and drug trafficking in New York.
ICE Arrests Criminal Illegal Alien and Member of the Violent Tren de Aragua Gang Wanted for Murder, Racketeering, and Drug Trafficking in New York — Department of Homeland Security
Immigration became Minnesota's leading driver of population growth from 2020-2024, accounting for 94% of net gains in population with over 81,000 new immigrants.
Immigration became the leading component of population growth in Minnesota this decade — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- For the second Minneapolis ICE shooting in Hawthorne, synchronized surveillance and bystander videos show the Venezuelan man running, stumbling and trying to get up with agents closing in, and do not show him pointing a gun at officers at the moment he’s shot in the leg—contrary to the implication in DHS’s initial statements.
- In the high‑profile St. Paul East Side raid on Nevada Avenue E, neighbors and a family friend say agents never produced a warrant at the door; when a 'warrant' later appeared on the doorstep, Ramsey County court officials and document comparisons showed it had no case number, no file stamp, and no probable‑cause narrative and did not match standard state‑court formats.
- A federal judge ordered DHS to either produce a valid warrant justifying the St. Paul raid or release all six detained Venezuelan family members; DHS failed to do so by the deadline and the court ordered all six freed within 72 hours, undercutting DHS’s later claim that it had a proper search warrant.
- In both incidents, DHS either declined to explain key discrepancies (such as the suspect’s posture when shot, or the warrant’s defects) or has not responded to detailed questions from local reporters, while independent document analysis and video timelines expose significant gaps between DHS talking points and what actually appears to have happened on the ground.
- Provides a chronological, sourced narrative of roughly eight weeks of Operation Metro Surge, knitting together separate incidents we’ve tracked (Renee Good killing, second ICE shooting, battering‑ram raids, airport/child‑care/restaurant hits) into one timeline.
- Documents scale and outcomes of immigrant habeas petitions in Minnesota federal court (hundreds filed, large majority resulting in release or bond hearings), and highlights specific rulings finding ICE tactics unconstitutional.
- Details the political escalation: House Democrats’ impeachment bid against DHS Sec. Kristi Noem, DOJ grand‑jury subpoenas to Walz, Ellison, Frey, Her and Moriarty, and threats from Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis.
- Adds texture on school and community responses: multiple districts shifting to opt‑in online learning, student walkouts to the Capitol, and general‑strike calls ('ICE Out of MN') shutting down large swaths of immigrant business corridors.
- Synthesizes business‑community reaction, noting both severe revenue hits in immigrant neighborhoods and conspicuous silence from major metro employers that depend on immigrant labor and customers.
- Identifies Sabores De Mexico, an Iranian-owned market and taquería in south Minneapolis, reporting business down 55–60% in recent weeks due to customers’ fear of leaving home during Operation Metro Surge.
- Reports the owner has closed the taquería side of the business because some staff, despite having legal papers, are too afraid of encountering ICE on the way to work.
- Adds an Iran angle: the owner, a U.S. citizen originally from Iran, says he cannot reach his brother and sister in Iran amid the current crackdown there and fears for their safety, linking local ICE fear with repression abroad.
- Quotes the owner comparing the current climate to 'living in North Korea' and explicitly saying he 'cannot wait' for ICE to leave Minnesota so his community can stop looking over their shoulders.