Somali asylum seeker detained in Minnesota traffic stop, sent to Guantánamo Bay
Adam Abdullah, a 31-year-old Somali asylum seeker and auto mechanic living in St. Paul, Minnesota, was pulled over by federal immigration agents at the start of an enforcement operation called Operation Metro Surge. He arrived in the U.S. seeking asylum in 2023, held a valid work permit and Social Security number, regularly attended ICE check-ins, and had no criminal record beyond two parking tickets. He said agents refused to explain the stop, did not present a warrant, and told him one was not needed. He was moved through detention facilities in Minnesota, Kentucky, and Louisiana before being told he would be deported to Somalia via Miami, but was instead diverted to Guantánamo Bay's Camp Six, where he has been held for about two weeks with limited phone access and exercise time. His attorney, Marc Prokosch, said calls with him are restricted to five to ten minutes and may not be confidential, and noted he is among eight Somali detainees held there, several also arrested in the Twin Cities. The ACLU has sued the federal government over its authority to send immigration detainees to Guantánamo Bay, and a judge has allowed the case to proceed.





































