Immigration & Legal

Surveillance and bystander videos of a Minneapolis ICE shooting show a Venezuelan man running, stumbling and trying to rise — not brandishing a gun when he was shot — while document comparisons and a federal judge’s order revealed that the St. Paul Nevada Avenue E raid lacked a valid state warrant, leading to the release of six detained family members after DHS failed to produce proper paperwork. Those discrepancies have unfolded amid Operation Metro Surge, which has generated hundreds of habeas petitions (many resulting in release or bond hearings), sharp political and legal pushback, and widespread fear that has crippled immigrant businesses — one Iranian‑owned market and taquería in south Minneapolis reports sales down 55–60% and has closed its taquería side.

The U.S. State Department will suspend processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries beginning Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, saying the move is intended to prevent entry of people who would “take welfare and public benefits” and to end “abuse of America’s immigration system.” The freeze applies only to immigrant visas (non‑immigrant tourist and business visas are exempt and expected to surge ahead of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics) and affects countries including Somalia, Iran, Russia, Nigeria and Brazil, with Somalia’s inclusion explicitly linked in administration messaging to Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future–related benefit fraud scandals.