Human Impact Project

A 48-year-old father of five with pending U-visa protection for victims of crimes cooperating with law enforcement was released from detention at Whipple Federal Building with only his belt, glasses, and wallet. ICE agents withheld his work permit, Social Security card, and consular card, claiming they did not know where the documents were. He has remained largely confined to his house out of fear.

Dmytro Kulyk, a 39-year-old Ukrainian father who fled the war and legally entered the U.S. in late 2023 under the Uniting for Ukraine program, was detained by ICE agents in a Walmart parking lot in the Minneapolis area on January 1, 2026, while loading groceries. He had been supporting his family by working as a delivery driver and doing roofing work. While his wife and daughter's applications for conditional release/re-parole were approved, Kulyk's application remained pending at the time of his arrest. His immigration attorney suggested the delay may have been intentional to create grounds for his deportation, noting he has no criminal record and followed all required legal procedures. He is being held at Kandiyohi County Jail in Willmar, Minnesota, and fears being deported back to Ukraine, where he could be forced to fight in the war, while his family worries they could also face detention.

More than 80 Minnesotans filed a lawsuit detailing use-of-force and intimidation by ICE agents. The lawsuit documents incidents involving excessive force and intimidation tactics used during enforcement operations in Minnesota.

A teenage girl who entered the United States as a refugee was arrested and detained overnight by ICE agents in a hotel room in Minneapolis. According to her allegations, immigration authorities separated her from her family and forced her to share a room with federal agents during the detention. The incident prompted protests outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, with demonstrators opposing the enforcement action.

Jesus Flores, a Mexican mechanic and father of six children, was detained by ICE agents who faked car trouble outside his home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota on Thursday afternoon. Security camera footage shows two women pretending to have mechanical problems at the curb; when Flores came out to help, ICE agents in other vehicles surrounded the driveway and apprehended him. Two of Flores' children have autism and require special care. His family reports he was transferred to El Paso, Texas within 48 hours, allegedly in violation of a federal judge's order. Flores is undocumented and was previously deported approximately 16 years ago.

Three U.S. citizens—George Retes from California, Aliya Rahman from Minnesota, and Gina Christ from Minnesota—report being detained by ICE and CBP agents during immigration enforcement operations. The incidents involved physical force, pepper spray, flashbangs, and prolonged detention without proper legal procedures, with charges ultimately not filed against any of them.

Despite border czar Tom Homan's announcement that Operation Metro Surge would end on February 12, Minnesota residents and officials report ICE continues operations in Twin Cities suburbs. Agents are using disguised vehicles, smaller groups, plain clothes, and deceptive practices including posing as environmental canvassers. Community observers document ICE presence at hotels, bus stops, apartment complexes, and interactions with those documenting enforcement activities.

ICE agents rammed a parked car containing a Minneapolis resident and her husband. The husband, a Hispanic U.S. citizen, was intensely questioned by ICE agents and asked to provide citizenship paperwork. After the incident, a police report was filed and authorities discovered that one of the ICE vehicles' license plates could not be located in police systems.

At least 20 undocumented immigrants arrested in Minnesota during immigration sweeps since December 2025 were transferred to Nebraska county jails, including 19 at Lincoln County Detention Center and at least one at Sarpy County. Additional detainees were held at a federal immigration detention center in McCook. Legal representatives argue that transferring detainees across state lines complicates legal representation, as Minnesota-licensed lawyers cannot practice in Nebraska, and some fear federal immigration officials are forum-shopping for more sympathetic judges. The transfers are part of Operation Metro Surge, which has arrested more than 4,000 people since December.

Becky Ringstrom, a 42-year-old mother of seven, was detained and arrested by federal immigration agents on January 29, 2026, while observing an ICE enforcement operation in her neighborhood in suburban Minneapolis. Ringstrom watched immigration officers for approximately 45 minutes before following their vehicle in her gray Kia SUV at a safe distance. After Border Patrol agents warned her to stop, she turned away, but minutes later multiple unmarked vehicles surrounded her car and agents arrested her. She was transported to Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis and issued a citation under Title 18, Section 111 of the U.S. Code for allegedly impeding law enforcement. The Trump administration has prosecuted at least 533 to 655 people under this charge since city-focused immigration enforcement began.

Individuals held at the Whipple Federal Building immigration detention facility reported experiencing poor conditions and lack of basic humanitarian treatment. Detainees described their firsthand experiences of the conditions at the facility. Activists called for the closure of the detention site and demanded ICE's departure from the location.

Brothers Ben Luhmann, 17, and Sam Luhmann, 16, of West Chicago traveled to document federal immigration enforcement operations, uploading footage to a public Google Drive folder for public use. They arrived in Minneapolis the day after federal agents fatally shot Renee Macklin Good, and later witnessed the aftermath of VA nurse Alex Pretti's shooting death by Border Patrol agents, who shot him as he recorded them and tried to help a woman who had been shoved to the ground. Their footage has captured Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino throwing a tear gas canister into a crowd, agents slipping on ice, and an agent pepper spraying a restrained man at close range. In Shakopee, Minnesota, they witnessed agents arrest a man in front of his children. The brothers say Minneapolis enforcement has been far more intense than what they previously documented in Chicago, and that their observations contradicted public statements from the Department of Homeland Security.

Elizabeth Zuna Caisaguano, a 10-year-old fourth-grader at Columbia Heights Public School District near Minneapolis, was detained by ICE agents on January 6, 2026, along with her mother Rosa Elena Caisaguano Cajilema while being driven to her school bus stop. Agents told Elizabeth they would take her to school but instead transported the pair 1,200 miles to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. The family had fled Ecuador and sought asylum in 2020; their application was denied in September 2025, but an appeal remained pending. During their month in detention, Elizabeth developed flu-like symptoms and her mother developed hives, with limited medical care provided, and at least six other children from the same school district were later sent to the same facility as part of a broader operation. After a habeas corpus petition was filed, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled on February 2 that they could not be deported while their case proceeds. Elizabeth and her mother were released on February 3 and returned to Minnesota to reunite with Elizabeth's father, following calls for their release from school officials and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Animal rescue organizations across Minnesota's Twin Cities continue to see a surge in pets needing care amid immigration enforcement, with Pet Haven in St. Paul processing roughly 360 animals and Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley documenting 7 surrendered pets. Two German Shepherds were left behind when a woman in Elk River was detained and transported to Texas, and veterinary appointment no-show rates have jumped from 20% to 40%. Pet Haven reports a recent uptick in surrendered animals from suburbs including Eagan, Apple Valley, Inver Grove Heights, Bloomington and Anoka, and says at least 237 families, mostly on the east side of the metro, have been sheltering with their pets without easy access to food or support. One dog, later named Otto, was found after surviving a month alone in an abandoned car in subzero cold.

An 11-year-old girl's mother from Ecuador was detained by federal immigration agents on February 5, 2026, after leaving her apartment for the first time in over a month to buy groceries. She was transferred to a detention facility in Texas approximately 1,400 miles away before attorney John Hayden secured a federal court order demanding her return to Minnesota. She was returned to a Minneapolis detention facility on Friday morning. The mother had applied for asylum in the U.S. and was later transferred to a jail in Willmar, Minnesota.

Beth Jackson, a Twin Cities resident, was detained by federal officers and faced subsequent action after documenting ICE agents. The detention occurred while she was recording immigration enforcement activities.

Cristian, a Colombian immigrant with an asylum claim, was detained by ICE agents on February 4 while heading to a new job in St. Paul. He was transferred to detention centers in Texas and Louisiana before self-deporting to Colombia. His wife Alejandra was left as the sole provider for their two young sons and is now trying to save money for plane tickets to return to Colombia, saying their experience made clear they are not welcomed in the United States.

Immigration officers with guns drawn arrested activists who were following their vehicles in south Minneapolis on Tuesday. At least one person wearing anti-ICE clothing was handcuffed face-down on the ground.

Ta Eh Doh Lah, a Burmese refugee mother of four lawfully admitted to the U.S. in November 2024, was arrested by ICE agents at her St. Paul apartment on January 10, 2026, while breastfeeding her five-month-old baby. The arrest occurred one day after USCIS announced Operation PARRIS to re-examine refugee cases. She was immediately transferred to Texas despite having a pending adjustment of status application and no criminal record. Ta Eh Doh Lah has congenital heart disease requiring expert medical care. A federal magistrate judge found her detention was not authorized under federal law and recommended her release. The federal court ordered her immediate transfer back to Minnesota and release, and blocked Operation PARRIS across Minnesota, preventing the arrest or detention of refugees solely because they are awaiting status adjustment.

Federal immigration agents detained an employee at NATIFS, an Indigenous-focused nonprofit restaurant in Minneapolis owned by chef Sean Sherman, outside the restaurant on February 2, 2026. Agents blocked a vehicle carrying staff members, pulled the employee from the car at gunpoint, and stated they were checking paperwork. The employee was transferred to Texas overnight without access to needed medication and without the family being notified in advance. Chef Sherman stated the employee had legal documentation and characterized the armed enforcement as inappropriate.