Judge orders ICE to free Venezuelan family after St. Paul raid without warrant
A judge ordered DHS and ICE to release a Venezuelan family of six detained after a St. Paul raid, ruling the agencies failed to produce a valid warrant; the court-ordered release took place on Monday. The decision was reported amid a broader surge of ICE activity in the Twin Cities and has been highlighted in live updates as part of local leaders' responses to the enforcement actions.
📌 Key Facts
- A judge ordered ICE to release a Venezuelan family after a St. Paul raid that occurred without a valid warrant.
- The court-ordered release applied to all six members of the family.
- FOX 9’s live-updates reported the family’s release happened “on Monday,” the day before the live blog dated Jan. 20, 2026 (i.e., Jan. 19, 2026).
- The legal basis given for the release was the lack of a valid warrant for the raid.
- FOX 9 placed the ruling within the broader ongoing ICE surge coverage in Minnesota, treating it as part of daily developments rather than an isolated court story.
- The coverage appeared in FOX 9’s live updates about ICE in Minnesota, where local Twin Cities leaders were reported reacting to ICE activity.
📊 Relevant Data
Illegal immigrants have an incarceration rate of 613 per 100,000, which is higher than legal immigrants but lower than native-born individuals.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
Immigrants contribute $26 billion to Minnesota's economy, helping to make it healthy and affordable.
Economist: Immigrants contribute $26 billion to Minnesota's economy — MPR News
Undocumented immigrants in Minnesota contributed $222 million in state and local taxes in 2022.
Undocumented immigrants contribute $222 million in Minnesota taxes — Minnesota Budget Project
Minnesota's Venezuelan community has doubled in the last three years, with many holding Temporary Protected Status.
Venezuelans in Minnesota fear rollback of TPS — Sahan Journal
The economic and political instability in Venezuela since 2015, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has driven significant migration to the United States.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
Operation Metro Surge is an ongoing ICE operation aimed at apprehending individuals, involving 2,000 federal agents in the Minneapolis area as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever.
2,000 federal agents sent to Minneapolis area to carry out 'largest' immigration operation 'ever,' ICE says — PBS NewsHour
Tren de Aragua members and leaders were indicted in a multi-million dollar ATM jackpotting scheme in Nebraska in 2025.
Tren De Aragua Members and Leaders Indicted in Multi-Million Dollar ATM Jackpotting Scheme — U.S. Department of Justice
A West Fargo ATM theft in 2024 is believed to be connected to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
West Fargo ATM theft believed to be connected to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua — Valley News Live
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms timing: FOX 9 live‑updates piece situates the Venezuelan family’s court‑ordered release as having happened 'on Monday,' the day before this live‑blog, reinforcing that all six were to be released due to the lack of a valid warrant.
- Connects that ruling explicitly into the broader daily news flow of the ICE surge, instead of as an isolated court story.