Destination
Mar 26, 2026

ICE Launches Armed Raids Across Minnesota Targeting Illegal Somali Nationals

Federal immigration agents have launched a series of armed raids across Minnesota aimed at detaining Somali nationals wanted on federal warrants, sparking political backlash and confusion in the Twin Cities region known locally as “Somali-land Minnesota.”

According to The Post Millennial’s Katie Daviscourt, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began the operation over the weekend, deploying roughly 100 federal agents from across the country to execute immigration warrants against Somali nationals with prior deportation orders or criminal convictions. Sources told the outlet several arrests have already been made.

One male suspect allegedly assaulted officers before being taken into custody. A previously deported woman fled into a residence before she and “several collateral arrests” were made, according to Daviscourt’s report, which included exclusive video of the raids.

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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that masked individuals seen detaining residents in Somali neighborhoods were federal officers but warned that the department had not been briefed on the operation.

“If there is anything that is a violation of someone’s human rights or civil rights, excessive force or anything like that, officers have a duty to intervene,” O’Hara said, urging residents to call 911 if they encounter unidentified law enforcement activity.

Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the operation, reiterating that city policy bars Minneapolis police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities on civil enforcement.

“We do not and will not participate in ICE raids,” Frey said at a news conference, calling the actions “deeply concerning.”

The raids come amid an ongoing political firestorm in Minnesota’s Somali community after revelations of a $250 million COVID-relief fraud scheme that federal prosecutors say siphoned taxpayer funds from a program meant to feed low-income children. Federal investigators allege that portions of the stolen money were funneled overseas and may have reached al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based al-Qaeda affiliate.

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