MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Since the Trump administration has escalated its immigration operations, a number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have been conducted since the first weekend in January.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would be deploying more than 2,100 ICE agents to Minnesota as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on the state, Bringmethenews reported. The federal government has cited ongoing investigations of fraud in public programs as the premise for the escalation.
However, 1,500 of the agents sent to Minneapolis are allegedly enforcement and removal officers (EROs), indicating that much of the department's operations in the city will be to continue its immigration enforcement.
The additional agents also come amid what appears to be the targeting of Democrat-run cities and states for punishment, including on Tuesday, January 6, the freezing of $10 billion in social services funding for five Democrat-led states: Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois, and Colorado.
On Tuesday morning, a man was arrested by ICE agents after fleeing on foot during a traffic stop and taking refuge for about two hours inside a Bloomington office building, which reportedly denied access to ICE agents. Also on Tuesday morning, a group of anti-ICE protesters gathered outside the Canopy by Hilton hotel in downtown Minneapolis, using drums and sound equipment till about 1:00 a.m., when they were ordered to disperse by police.
The effort was the latest in a series of protests designed to disturb the sleep of federal agents. It has not, however, been confirmed that ICE agents were staying in the hotel.
DHS claims that it was told by a staff member that ICE agents were not welcome to stay at the hotel, prompting Hilton Hotels to issue an apology. Hilton Hotels said it would be removing its name from the Hampton Inn by Hilton, which is operated by Everpeak Hospitality, after a right-wing influencer recorded a video indicating that the "no ICE" policy was still in effect.
On Tuesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was present at a raid that reportedly took place at the intersection of Payne Avenue and Jenks Avenue in St. Paul. A man was arrested after federal authorities claimed he was an undocumented Ecuadorian national with an "active warrant for murder and sexual assault in Ecuador."
ICE said that the man entered the U.S. in October 2022, and failed to show for his deportation hearing in February 2025. DHS identified a number of other people it says it has arrested in the Twin Cities, including nationals from Laos, Mexico, Vietnam, Ecuador, and El Salvador.
Immigration advocacy nonprofit Unidos MN said that ICE agents entered Hennepin County Medical Center, allegedly without a warrant, and "waiting for more than 24 hours at the bedside of a patient receiving medical care last week." The incident sparked a response from a Hennepin County commissioner and some state lawmakers, who arrived at the hospital and confronted immigration efforts, who left without an arrest.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would be deploying more than 2,100 ICE agents to Minnesota as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on the state, Bringmethenews reported. The federal government has cited ongoing investigations of fraud in public programs as the premise for the escalation.
However, 1,500 of the agents sent to Minneapolis are allegedly enforcement and removal officers (EROs), indicating that much of the department's operations in the city will be to continue its immigration enforcement.
The additional agents also come amid what appears to be the targeting of Democrat-run cities and states for punishment, including on Tuesday, January 6, the freezing of $10 billion in social services funding for five Democrat-led states: Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois, and Colorado.
On Tuesday morning, a man was arrested by ICE agents after fleeing on foot during a traffic stop and taking refuge for about two hours inside a Bloomington office building, which reportedly denied access to ICE agents. Also on Tuesday morning, a group of anti-ICE protesters gathered outside the Canopy by Hilton hotel in downtown Minneapolis, using drums and sound equipment till about 1:00 a.m., when they were ordered to disperse by police.
The effort was the latest in a series of protests designed to disturb the sleep of federal agents. It has not, however, been confirmed that ICE agents were staying in the hotel.
DHS claims that it was told by a staff member that ICE agents were not welcome to stay at the hotel, prompting Hilton Hotels to issue an apology. Hilton Hotels said it would be removing its name from the Hampton Inn by Hilton, which is operated by Everpeak Hospitality, after a right-wing influencer recorded a video indicating that the "no ICE" policy was still in effect.
On Tuesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was present at a raid that reportedly took place at the intersection of Payne Avenue and Jenks Avenue in St. Paul. A man was arrested after federal authorities claimed he was an undocumented Ecuadorian national with an "active warrant for murder and sexual assault in Ecuador."
ICE said that the man entered the U.S. in October 2022, and failed to show for his deportation hearing in February 2025. DHS identified a number of other people it says it has arrested in the Twin Cities, including nationals from Laos, Mexico, Vietnam, Ecuador, and El Salvador.
Immigration advocacy nonprofit Unidos MN said that ICE agents entered Hennepin County Medical Center, allegedly without a warrant, and "waiting for more than 24 hours at the bedside of a patient receiving medical care last week." The incident sparked a response from a Hennepin County commissioner and some state lawmakers, who arrived at the hospital and confronted immigration efforts, who left without an arrest.
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