Human Impact Project

Thousands of Minneapolis residents have organized into rapid response groups called ICE Watch to monitor and document Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in their neighborhoods. The groups, coordinated through organizations like Defend the 612, witness arrests, record incidents on video, and document community member interactions with ICE. Federal agents have conducted vehicle box-ins, window breaking, and surveillance of observers' homes during these operations.

On January 14, 2026, an ICE agent shot and wounded Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, during an enforcement operation in north Minneapolis following a traffic stop pursuit. The Department of Homeland Security initially claimed Sosa-Celis attacked an agent with a shovel and broomstick for three minutes, but video footage contradicted this account, showing only a 12-second confrontation with no sustained attack. Prosecutors had access to the video within hours but did not review it until nearly three weeks after charging Sosa-Celis and his housemate; both charges were subsequently dropped. Two federal ICE agents were placed on administrative leave after DHS determined their testimony was untrue, and they faced possible termination or criminal charges for apparent perjury.

On January 13, 2026, ICE agents detained multiple enrolled members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, including at least three to four Oglala Lakota men, during a sweep of a homeless encampment near the Little Earth housing complex in Minneapolis. Three detainees were transferred to an ICE facility at Fort Snelling. The Oglala Sioux Tribe asserted that enrolled members are U.S. citizens by statute and fall outside immigration jurisdiction. Federal officials refused to provide information about the detainees unless the tribe agreed to an immigration enforcement agreement with ICE and DHS. Tribal President Frank Star Comes Out and the tribe publicly rejected this condition, stating they would not compromise tribal sovereignty or authorize ICE operations on tribal land. The tribe contacted Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to locate the detainees and issued guidance to members on asserting their citizenship rights.

Tenth grader Arnoldo Bazan, a 16-year-old U.S. citizen, and his father were stopped by immigration agents while getting McDonald's before school. During the encounter, agents slammed the father to the ground and put Arnoldo in a chokehold, causing him to struggle for breath. ProPublica found over 40 cases of immigration agents using banned chokeholds and other moves that restrict breathing.

ICE agents visited El Tapatio, a Mexican restaurant in Willmar, Minnesota for lunch on January 14, 2026, then returned and detained the restaurant's owners and a dishwasher. According to DHS, agents were conducting surveillance of an undocumented immigrants from Mexico and apprehended three individuals total, including one with a final order of removal from an immigration judge. The restaurant closed early following the incident.

Volunteer searchers with Battalion Search and Rescue have documented dozens of sites containing migrant skeletal remains in the New Mexico desert west of El Paso, with some sites remaining unrecovered for over 18 months after being reported to authorities. The group reported finding human remains or personal effects at 15 locations that were marked on government maps as cleaned-up sites, and disputes official figures showing a sharp drop in migrant remains recovered, claiming several sites they reported in late 2024 were actually recovered but not counted in official statistics.

Mario Cesar Martinez Castrillon, a citizen of Peru who had been paroled into the United States under the Migrant Protection Protocols program, was detained during a scheduled ICE check-in appointment on January 13, 2026. He had been living in Memphis, Tennessee, had obtained a driver's license and work authorization, and had been regularly reporting to ICE as required. The court denied his habeas corpus petition challenging his detention without an individualized bond hearing. Jose Roberto Casanova-Vidal, a citizen of Peru who entered the U.S. in November 2022, was detained on December 1, 2025 after voluntarily appearing at the Memphis Immigration office for allegedly failing to comply with ATD program conditions. He had previously been released on parole due to time in custody constraints and placed in the Alternatives to Detention program. The court denied his habeas petition seeking release or a bond hearing, ruling that as an applicant for admission he is subject to mandatory detention under federal law.

Border agents conducted an operation at a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota, resulting in the arrest of workers at the location. Video footage captured agents descending on the store during what appeared to be a drive-up operation.

ICE arrested a protester wearing a giraffe costume in Minneapolis. The incident involved law enforcement action against a demonstrator. Limited details are available from the provided article text.

A New York City Council employee was detained by ICE during a routine immigration court appointment in Bethpage, Long Island on Monday. DHS identified the employee as Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez from Venezuela, alleging he entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2017 that expired and has a criminal history. City officials and Democratic leaders called the detention egregious government overreach, noting the employee had work authorization and passed background checks for his position as a data analyst.

Christina Rank, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen classroom assistant, was arrested by ICE agents outside Concord Education Center in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota on Monday, January 12, 2026, around 7:30 a.m. ICE agents claimed she rammed an agent's vehicle, but witnesses disputed this account, stating the agent ran into her white Honda and broke her window. Rank was held in custody at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling for almost 12 hours before being released. As of Monday afternoon, no charges had been filed against her, and her mother questioned the purpose of ICE agents at the school and the use of force employed during the arrest.

Gage Diego Garcia, a U.S. citizen, was held for six hours on Monday after ICE officers approached him in an alleyway and demanded identification. When Garcia refused and began to blow a whistle, officers pushed him against a car, pointed a Taser at him, and accused him of assault by spitting. Video recorded by a friend documents the physical altercation. Officers told Garcia he was picked up because he "looked like someone who committed a crime" and said "we'll figure it out" when asked what crime. Officers later referenced a fatal shooting by another agent, saying "things could have gone really south for you like those agents did to Renee Good." The incident occurred as ICE has deployed approximately 3,000 officers to Minneapolis.

ICE agents arrested a woman in Minneapolis who was attempting to drive through a street where the agency was conducting a raid to reach her doctor's appointment. When the woman refused to move her car, agents broke her car window, cut her seatbelt, and dragged her out before arresting her. The incident occurred amid a broader ICE enforcement operation in the city.

Ryan Ecklund, a U.S. citizen and Twin Cities realtor, was detained by ICE agents for approximately 10 hours on Monday after following and recording their movements from his vehicle in Woodbury. According to Ecklund, five agents boxed in his vehicle, forcibly removed him, threw him to the ground, and one agent placed him in a chokehold. He was taken to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling and released without charges.

Nasra Ahmed, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested and detained by ICE for two days. According to the post, ICE agents handcuffed her, used racial slurs, and knocked her to the ground so forcefully that she sustained a concussion.

A ProPublica investigation identified over 40 cases in which immigration agents used chokeholds and other neck restraints on civilians, citizens, and protesters during deportation enforcement operations. Former police officers and law enforcement experts reviewed the footage and stated the tactics resulted in apparent seizures, loss of consciousness, and serious injuries. The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly reported any disciplinary action against agents despite a federal ban on such tactics since 2023.

Legal observers in Minneapolis are following federal ICE agents and documenting their enforcement activities. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed that observing and recording federal agents is a protected legal right, though certain driving behaviors remain illegal. The observers say they will continue documenting ICE operations as federal agents increase their presence in the city.

ICE agents surrounded a family's home with weapons drawn and pointed guns at an unarmed mother and her children. Agents briefly detained a U.S. citizen teenager without a warrant before releasing him after realizing they lacked authority to arrest him. The incident involved armed agents at an unarmed family inside their own home.

Shovgi Huseynov, a UB medical researcher from Azerbaijan, was detained by ICE after making a wrong turn onto the Peace Bridge on January 7 and crossing into Canada. Upon his return to the United States, border agents arrested him. ICE claims he was in the country illegally on an expired visa, but his attorney states he applied for permanent legal status while his visa was active, which provides authorized stay, and he has valid work authorization through 2029. Multiple state and local officials, including Rep. Tim Kennedy, have condemned his detention and called for his immediate release.

A same-sex female couple in Pennsylvania had one woman detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a regularly scheduled immigration check-in. The detainee was transferred to a detention center in California.

Yoryet Maria Lozano Mosquera, a 25-year-old dual national of Venezuela and Colombia, entered the United States without inspection on February 24, 2024, and was released by ICE on an Order of Release on Recognizance under the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. On January 13, 2026, while appearing for a scheduled check-in in San Bernardino, California, ICE took her into custody, alleging violations of her supervision conditions. The court granted her Temporary Restraining Order application, finding she was likely detained in violation of her due process rights, and ordered her immediate release pending resolution of her habeas corpus petition.

Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, a 46-year-old Eritrean man and respected leader of the Muslim community, died on December 14, 2025, after 216 days in ICE custody at Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center in Pennsylvania. On December 5, 2025, Abdulkadir filed a habeas corpus petition seeking release from custody. He sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on December 11, 2025, but the court denied both motions. On January 13, 2026, the court dismissed his habeas petition as moot following his death. CAIR Northern Ohio and CAIR Philadelphia issued a statement expressing condolences to his family and reaffirming their commitment to advocating for humane treatment in immigration detention facilities.

Videos emerged showing Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICE nurse, being forcibly taken to the ground by federal immigration agents on January 13 after kicking out the tail light of their vehicle during a Minneapolis protest. The altercation occurred 11 days before Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers on January 24. The videos show Pretti struggling with agents and a handgun visible in his waistband, though he did not reach for it and it is unclear if agents saw the weapon.

Abel, an undocumented immigrant who has lived in Minnesota for 29 years with his four U.S.-born children, was detained by immigration agents on January 13, 2026, while delivering groceries to families in hiding during Operation Metro Surge. Agents pulled over his vehicle in Burnsville and arrested him despite his pending green card approval. He was held at a detention center in El Paso, Texas, for two weeks before being released on January 29, 2026. His arrest forced his wife into hiding and left his sons to manage household responsibilities.

Four men were charged in connection with an ICE raid at a Hardin Valley construction site on January 13, with charges filed in January and a superseding indictment in March. All four were accused of conspiring to conceal and harbor undocumented immigrants for financial gain. Three men, including one accused of using a pickup truck to block the site entrance and strike agents' vehicle, were also charged with conspiring to prevent federal officers from performing their duties.

During an anti-ICE protest outside an ICE building in Santa Ana, California on January 13, 2026, a 21-year-old college student named Kaden Rummler was struck in the face by a projectile fired by a federal officer at close range. The incident resulted in permanent blindness in his left eye, skull fractures, and required six hours of surgery. The demonstration was organized in response to the shooting death of Renee Good by a federal agent in Minneapolis. Rummler's family has spoken out about the incident.

A U.S. citizen was arrested during an immigration enforcement crackdown. The family disputes the arrest and claims their relative should not have been taken into custody.

Hani Duglof, a 32-year-old with a rare genetic disorder (RDEB) that causes skin blistering, was detained by ICE after agents ran his license plate while he was driving. He was transferred to M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital after requesting medical attention, where he remains in ICE custody. His family and attorney are seeking his release, citing his severe medical condition and his pending asylum application that has been ongoing for over 10 years.

Two Minneapolis residents who monitor immigration officers' activities were detained by ICE for several hours without being charged. During their detention, they were held without access to phone calls and were pressured to provide information about protest organizers and undocumented immigrants.

J.I.B.C., a 19-year-old man from Ecuador applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status and asylum, was detained by Border Patrol agents outside a T-Mobile store in Minneapolis on January 13, 2026. He was transported to Texas and held for seven days without access to legal counsel. After attorney Kira Kelley filed a habeas petition, a court ordered his return to Minnesota and release from custody on January 20, 2026.

Kong Vang, a St. Paul resident, recorded federal immigration agents knocking on his door in the Frogtown neighborhood. Vang refused to open the door after agents did not explain the purpose of their visit, and they left after about 90 seconds. The video was posted to Facebook and received over 400,000 views.

A high school graduate was detained during an ICE raid while working.

Federal ICE agents raided a residential home in Minneapolis on Sunday, ramming the door to arrest a man inside. Agents pepper-sprayed protesters who had gathered outside the home to disrupt the operation. The raid occurred as part of a massive enforcement campaign in Minnesota that has resulted in more than 2,000 immigration arrests since early December, and took place in a city reeling from the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer on January 7.

ICE agents rammed into Christian Molina's car in south Minneapolis on January 12, 2026, then questioned him about his immigration status. Molina, a U.S. citizen, refused to comply and was not detained. The incident occurred two blocks from where an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good on January 7.

A Navajo man named Peter Yazzie was detained by ICE agents at a gas station in Peoria on January 12th despite presenting multiple forms of identification including a Certificate of Indian Blood, driver's license, and birth certificate. Yazzie, a U.S. citizen under the Citizenship Act of 1924, was detained for four hours. Tribal leaders stated that federally recognized tribal IDs are needed and questioned whether ICE operated within its legal jurisdiction regarding Native Americans.

Nimco Omar, a Somali-American U.S. citizen, was stopped by multiple masked ICE officers while walking in her Minneapolis neighborhood. The officers demanded identification and proof of citizenship status. Omar refused to provide ID and asserted she was a U.S. citizen, but an officer threatened to place her in a vehicle and warned of federal charges if she was lying. Omar recorded the encounter on her phone out of fear. Legal experts noted that U.S. citizens have no legal obligation to provide identification while walking or standing in public. The encounter occurred as part of ICE's expanded enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted enforcement operations across multiple Los Angeles neighborhoods over the weekend, resulting in the detention of at least a dozen people. Arrests occurred in Echo Park, Silver Lake, Downey, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park, with DHS confirming that 11 detainees were from Mexico and El Salvador. Community members witnessed and documented the incidents as federal immigration agents took people into custody. Some of those detained reportedly had valid documentation or long-term residence in the U.S., according to witnesses and local organizations including the Los Angeles Tenants Union.

David Vargas-Rivera, a Mexican national, was arrested by ICE Dallas officers on January 12, 2026, in Frisco, Texas. According to federal authorities, Vargas-Rivera is wanted in Mexico on homicide charges and is suspected of laundering more than $4.6 million through real estate transactions in 2025. Authorities identified him as an associate of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, allegedly functioning as a hitman and involved in fuel theft operations. He was deported on July 14, 2026, and turned over to Mexican law enforcement authorities.

ICE agents rammed a Latino man's car during an enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. The agents released him after determining he is a U.S. citizen. The incident occurred as federal immigration agents conducted operations across the Twin Cities.

A Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 1992 was detained by ICE on January 12, 2026, during what he believed was a routine check-in appointment at an Anchorage facility. ICE held him for 65 days in the Anchorage Correctional Complex, citing a denied green card application based on an old teenage criminal conviction from the 1990s. His attorney and immigration lawyers disputed the detention, arguing he was eligible for permanent residency under the Indochinese Parole Adjustment Act and that the criminal conviction on his DHS record was inaccurate. A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order, and ICE canceled his final administrative removal order on March 18, 2026, resulting in his release. He was released on conditions including an ankle monitor and weekly ICE reporting requirements.

When ICE increased immigration enforcement operations in Lewiston starting January 12, 2026, immigrant residents, including naturalized citizens, expressed concern about detention and separation from their children. Community members organized a volunteer network called "neighbors helping neighbors" to provide transportation, groceries, medications, and support to immigrants who sheltered at home. The effort included coordinating rides to school and appointments and monitoring for ICE agents. Community members wore black at a student-led protest.

Brenda Beatriz Organiz-Perez De Lorenzo, a Guatemalan woman and her two minor children, petitioned for review after being denied asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. She fled Guatemala in February 2019 after receiving threatening phone calls demanding money. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied her petition, finding she failed to establish eligibility for relief on multiple grounds including lack of nexus between the threats and her claimed protected social group.

Garrison Gibson, a Liberian national in his late 30s living in north Minneapolis, was arrested by ICE agents on January 11, 2026, when they used a battering ram to break down his door. Gibson had been regularly checking in with immigration authorities. According to Gibson's account, the agents took trophy photos during the arrest and held him in an overcrowded cell. The agents were armed with an administrative warrant rather than a judicial search warrant.

Danny Briceno-Solano, a Venezuelan national with work authorization and legal status to remain in the U.S., was detained by ICE on January 11, 2026, after being stopped on I-77 for unclear paper license plates. U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston ordered his release from South Central Regional Jail on February 5, 2026, ruling that the government violated due process by detaining him without explanation, hearing, notice, or means of challenging the detention. Briceno-Solano crossed the border illegally in 2022 but was lawfully released and granted permission to stay based on unsafe conditions in Venezuela; he was employed as a contractor, paid taxes, and had a North Carolina driver's license. His removal hearings had been dismissed nine days before his detention.

Randall Gamboa Esquivel, a Costa Rican man, was detained by ICE after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2024. During nearly 10 months in detention at facilities in south Texas, his health deteriorated significantly, and he was deported to Costa Rica in September 2025 in a vegetative state. He died five weeks later without regaining consciousness, while his family and authorities remain unclear about what caused his severe health decline while in ICE custody.

Brandon Sigüenza, a volunteer legal observer documenting ICE enforcement activities in Minneapolis, was pepper-sprayed, arrested, and detained for eight hours after ICE agents surrounded his car while he was legally recording their operations on a public street. He was released without charges. His detention was part of a pattern of intimidation against community members observing and reporting on ICE activities in the area.

ICE agents detained Jose Roberto Ramirez, a Native American citizen born in Minneapolis with family from the Red Lake Reservation, outside a Hy-Vee grocery store in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. The incident was documented on video and shared on social media. Ramirez was subsequently released from custody.

According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Online Detainee Locator System, an individual named Yee has been detained as a public safety or flight risk. However, no court hearing dates are available for Yee on the portal, and no deportation information is listed on the U.S. Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review.

A migrant man died while attempting to cross the Rio Bravo into the United States and was found floating in the river in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. Rescue teams and Mexican and U.S. authorities coordinated to recover the body. Authorities are investigating whether the victim is José Antonio Sánchez Ríos, 35, from Guanajuato, who disappeared while crossing the river earlier in the week.

Adonay Mancia Rodríguez was detained by ICE agents near his home in Morristown, New Jersey on January 11, 2026, during an enforcement sweep while picking up a dinner delivery. His six-year-old daughter Annabella was found wandering the streets alone following his detention. According to DHS, ICE took 11 individuals into custody during the operation who were undocumented and facing deportation.