Hennepin sheriff blasts ICE tactics, urges lawful conduct
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt used a FOX 9 interview to sharply criticize some ICE officers deployed in Minnesota, saying she has "seen and heard" instances of excessive force, racial profiling and stereotyping during the current federal immigration surge. Witt warned those tactics are undermining years of work to rebuild community trust in law enforcement and said "nobody hates a bad cop more than a good cop," calling on federal agents to be professional, "follow the law" and treat people with dignity and respect. She framed the issue as bigger than partisan politics, urging leaders who took an oath of office to remember they represent everyone, including people who don’t share their views, and to stop treating politics like a zero‑sum game. Her comments add a top local cop’s voice to growing criticism of Operation Metro Surge, where videos and lawsuits already allege racial targeting and heavy‑handed force by ICE and Border Patrol on Twin Cities streets, and they signal that even within law enforcement, some are worried ICE is poisoning the well for everyone in a badge.
📌 Key Facts
- Sheriff Dawanna Witt told FOX 9 that some ICE agents in Hennepin County have used excessive force and engaged in racial profiling during the current surge.
- Witt said those tactics are "getting ridiculous" and harm broader efforts to build trust, stressing that good officers "need them to follow the law."
- She urged political and law‑enforcement leaders to stop treating politics like a game, remember their oath to represent everyone, and come together to keep communities safe.
📊 Relevant Data
Operation Metro Surge, initiated in December 2025, targets immigrants with deportation orders and serious criminal histories, including fraud, in Minnesota, particularly in the Twin Cities area, as a response to alleged non-cooperation from local authorities and high-profile fraud cases.
2,000 federal agents deploying to Minneapolis in immigration crackdown, fraud probe — CBS News
The surge is linked to fraud investigations in Minnesota, where federal prosecutors have charged over 90 people since 2021 in schemes spanning nutrition, housing, and child care programs, with losses estimated in billions, disproportionately involving Somali immigrants.
2,000 federal agents deploying to Minneapolis in immigration crackdown, fraud probe — CBS News
Minnesota has approximately 107,000 people of Somali descent as of 2024, representing about 2% of the state's population, with Hennepin County having the largest community of 28,053 Somalis.
By the numbers: Minnesota's Somali population, according to Census data — KTTC
Somali immigrants in Minnesota have per capita crime rates 2 to 5 times higher than natives, based on apples-to-apples comparisons, though noncitizens were underrepresented in 2024 welfare fraud convictions relative to their population share.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
Lawsuits allege that ICE agents in Operation Metro Surge have engaged in racial profiling, targeting individuals perceived as Somali or Latino, leading to warrantless stops and arrests of U.S. citizens and legal residents.
ACLU of Minnesota sues feds for racial profiling, illegal arrests in Operation Metro Surge — CBS Minnesota
Somali Minnesotans generate over $500 million in collective household income annually, pay about $67 million in state and local taxes, and Somali-owned businesses contribute over $200 million in economic activity each year.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
About 39% of working-age Somalis in Minnesota have no high school diploma, and one in eight children in poverty in the state lives in a Somali immigrant home, contributing to socioeconomic disparities.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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