Vance and ICE Official Acknowledge Minnesota DOC Honors ICE Transfers While Blaming Counties for Ignoring Detainers
At a Minnesota event Vice President JD Vance said the state Department of Corrections was not among the “worst offenders” in cooperating with ICE, and DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell confirmed the agency routinely coordinates with ICE weeks before inmates’ release to arrange custody transfers. ICE deportation branch head Marcus Charles likewise acknowledged that Minnesota DOC notifies ICE of soon-to-be-released undocumented prisoners, while blaming county jails for often failing to honor ICE detainers.
📌 Key Facts
- On Jan. 23, 2026, Vice President JD Vance said in Minnesota that the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) is not among the 'worst offenders' on cooperation with ICE and that he would not list DOC among the top five state or local agencies he is most worried about.
- Minnesota DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell told CBS that DOC routinely coordinates with ICE weeks before inmates' release dates to arrange custody transfers, saying this happens 'as a matter of course.'
- Marcus Charles, head of ICE’s deportation branch, publicly acknowledged that Minnesota DOC does cooperate by notifying ICE when undocumented prisoners are released from state facilities.
- Charles contrasted that state-level cooperation with county jails, asserting that many counties often do not honor ICE detainers and are effectively ignoring them.
- The cooperation described by DOC and ICE centers on advance notification and arranging custody transfers at or before inmates' release from state correctional facilities.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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January 23, 2026
4:08 AM
Vance acknowledges Minnesota Department of Corrections cooperating with ICE
New information:
- Vice President JD Vance said in Minnesota that the state Department of Corrections is not among the 'worst offenders' on cooperation with ICE and that he would not list DOC among the top five state or local agencies he is most worried about.
- DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell told CBS that DOC routinely coordinates with ICE weeks before inmates’ release dates to arrange custody transfers, saying this happens as a matter of course.
- ICE deportation branch head Marcus Charles publicly conceded that Minnesota DOC does cooperate by notifying ICE when undocumented prisoners are released from state facilities, while asserting that county jails often do not honor ICE detainers.
January 22, 2026