Judge orders 2‑year‑old released from ICE custody
A federal judge has ordered that a 2‑year‑old girl from Ecuador, taken into ICE custody with her father during a Minneapolis traffic stop on Thursday, must be released by 9:30 p.m. Friday under an emergency habeas petition. Attorneys argued the pair have asylum claims and were arrested without a warrant, calling the detention of a toddler “unspeakable, cruel and without any legal basis or justification” in court filings. The judge’s order authorizes the family’s attorney to pick up the child directly from detention and return her to her mother in the Twin Cities, while the father’s status was not detailed in the brief report. The case is one of the clearest examples yet of how Operation Metro Surge has swept up very young children in routine Twin Cities encounters and is now drawing direct pushback from federal judges who are being flooded with emergency filings.
📌 Key Facts
- A 2‑year‑old Ecuadorian girl and her father were detained by ICE during a Minneapolis traffic stop on Thursday amid Operation Metro Surge.
- Attorneys filed an emergency habeas petition arguing asylum claims and warrantless arrest, calling the child’s detention unlawful.
- A federal judge ordered the toddler released by 9:30 p.m. Friday and empowered the attorney to retrieve her and return her to her mother.
📊 Relevant Data
Operation Metro Surge, initiated in December 2025 by ICE in the Twin Cities, has led to the arrest of 2,400 individuals as of January 13, 2026, targeting criminal illegal aliens including those with convictions for serious crimes such as child abuse, rape, and gang affiliations.
2,400 have been arrested by immigration officials in Twin Cities, NBC reports — KARE11
Ecuador had a homicide rate of 44.5 per 100,000 people in 2025, the highest in South America, contributing to increased emigration and asylum seekers arriving in the US, including Minnesota.
2025 Country Conditions: Ecuador — USCRI
Ecuadorians have the largest number of pending immigration cases in Minnesota, with 11,921 cases at Fort Snelling Immigration Court as of November 2025, more than double that of other nationalities.
Minnesota's Ecuadorian community faces uncertain future — Sahan Journal
Undocumented immigrants in the US have lower crime rates than US-born citizens; the property crime arrest rate was 38.5 per 100,000 for undocumented immigrants compared to 165.2 per 100,000 for US-born citizens in recent data.
Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizens' Rate — House.gov (Congressional Document)
Undocumented immigrants in Minnesota contributed $222 million in state and local taxes in 2022, supporting the economy through tax payments and business activities.
Undocumented immigrants contribute $222 million in Minnesota taxes — Minnesota Budget Project
ICE placed a record 600 immigrant children in federal shelters in 2025, amid overall detention numbers reaching a high of 73,000 individuals in January 2026.
ICE Has Placed a Record 600 Immigrant Kids in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record. — ProPublica
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