Judge blocks ICE from moving detained Hopkins family
A Hopkins family from Ecuador — parents with pending asylum applications and their two children — was detained Thursday after ICE agents first pulled over mother Maria Hurtado on her way to work, then went to the family’s home and used her detention to coax her husband, Luis Chiluisa, and the children outside, where they were also taken into custody, according to their attorney. Minneapolis lawyer Brian Clark says he has been unable to learn where they are being held and feared they could be transferred to Texas, prompting an emergency filing in which he argued the family is here legally, has no known criminal history beyond Chiluisa’s 2024 misdemeanor DWI, and is well‑known in Hopkins. A federal judge has now ordered the government not to move the family out of Minnesota and to return them if ICE has already relocated them, effectively freezing any out‑of‑state transfer while the court reviews the case. Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon publicly vouched for Chiluisa as a "model citizen" who works in snow removal and said the city wants its community member back and a "normal working relationship" with federal partners, while Hopkins Public Schools’ superintendent told parents the detention was a "horrific experience" and warned the district may never learn the outcome unless the family later shares it. The case adds to a growing pattern of Metro‑area families with pending asylum or legal status being swept up in Operation Metro Surge, heightening fear in schools and neighborhoods that even long‑settled, working residents are now at risk in routine traffic stops and at their own front doors.
📌 Key Facts
- ICE agents stopped Hopkins resident Maria Hurtado on her way to work Thursday and detained her, then went to the family’s home and used her detention to draw out husband Luis Chiluisa and their two children, who were also detained.
- Attorney Brian Clark says both parents have pending asylum applications and no known criminal record beyond Chiluisa’s 2024 misdemeanor DWI, and a federal judge has ordered ICE not to move the family out of Minnesota and to return them if already transferred.
- Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon described Chiluisa as a "model citizen" known for his snow‑removal work, and Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent Rhoda Mhiripiri‑Reed called the family’s detention a "horrific experience" in a letter to parents.
📊 Relevant Data
Ecuador has a homicide rate of 44.5 per 100,000 people, which is higher than Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras, contributing to increased asylum claims from Ecuadorians fleeing violence.
2025 Country Conditions: Ecuador — USCRI
From 2020 to 2024, over 81,000 new immigrants moved to Minnesota, making immigration the primary driver of population change.
Immigration became the leading component of population growth in Minnesota this decade — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
In Hopkins, MN, 13.4% of residents were born outside the country as of 2023, with the population being about 60% White and 40% Non-White in 2015, showing significant demographic shifts.
Appendix A1: Community Profile | Hopkins, MN — City of Hopkins
All immigrants, legal and illegal, are less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans relative to their shares of the population, based on data from 2010-2023.
Ecuadorian immigrants in Minnesota have the most pending asylum cases at 1,920 as of 2024, and granting TPS would enable them to contribute to the workforce and economy.
Minnesota's Ecuadorian community is flourishing, but its future is uncertain — URL Media
Nearly 60% of Minnesota's total labor force and employment growth from 2019-2023 came from foreign-born workers, helping to mitigate labor shortages.
The economic contributions of New Americans in Minnesota — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered about 124,000 Ecuadorians at U.S. land borders in FY2024, a nearly 400% increase from FY2022, driven by instability in Ecuador.
Ecuador: Country Overview and U.S. Relations — Congress.gov
If all 95,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota were deported, it would result in a job loss of 8,000 U.S.-born workers and significant economic impacts.
The economic and fiscal impacts of mass deportation: what's at risk in Minnesota — Minnesota Budget Project
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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