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.

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 Rank 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. Her mother, Sarah Rank, 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.

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.

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.

Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne was shoved from behind by an ICE officer on October 31, 2025, while legally observing an ICE enforcement action at a bus stop on Central Avenue. Payne was standing with fellow council member Jason Chavez when they witnessed ICE officers stop a person waiting for the bus. Video footage captured an ICE officer pushing Payne from behind as he was recording and attempting to speak with the agents. Payne said he introduced himself as the council president and tried to de-escalate the situation, calling the officer's behavior "reckless."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Five-year-old Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos, a U.S. citizen, was deported to Honduras on January 11, 2026, alongside her mother Karen Guadalupe Gutiérrez Castellanos despite being born in the United States. ICE agents acted on an administrative deportation order against the mother issued in 2019, before the child was born. The two were detained for nearly a week in a hotel without access to legal representation or a judge hearing before being deported. The mother plans to send her daughter back to the U.S. with a relative, as the child is a U.S. citizen.

ICE officers in Minneapolis conducted multiple "show me your papers" encounters with residents in public spaces. In one incident last weekend, officers approached a man pumping gas and demanded to see documentation of U.S. citizenship. The man refused initially but eventually provided a driver's license; officers continued questioning whether he was naturalized and when. In another incident, officers questioned a man at a vehicle charging station about his citizenship. These encounters were recorded on video and shared on social media, prompting criticism from public figures. The Department of Homeland Security did not provide information on the citizenship status of the people approached or details about these specific incidents.

Rachel Dionne-Thunder, who is Plains Cree and co-founder of Indigenous Protectors Movement, was stopped and questioned by ICE agents near Powwow Grounds coffee shop on January 10, 2026 without being given a reason for the stop. She locked her vehicle doors and refused to comply with agents' orders to show ID or exit the vehicle, citing Know Your Rights training. Community members came to her aid and the agents left.

Jorge Elieser Gonzalez Ochoa, a 27-year-old Colombian national seeking asylum, was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at Bread Garden Market in Iowa City on September 25, 2025, while working and wearing a court-ordered GPS monitor. Agents charged him with document fraud and misuse of immigration documents. A federal judge ruled the DHS actions "indefensible" and found Gonzalez Ochoa was illegally detained, noting agents attempted to circumvent a court order and violated procedural requirements. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served plus one day. After several months in federal immigration detention, Gonzalez Ochoa was released following sustained community organizing and protests by groups including the Iowa City Catholic Worker and Escucha Mi Voz Iowa.

Jose Manuel De Paz Cruz, a 31-year-old father with no criminal record, was arrested by ICE agents in Sunset Park on January 10, 2026, while walking home from work to attend his step-son's birthday party. After being detained in Brooklyn, Cruz was transferred to multiple locations including Manhattan, New Jersey, Arizona, and California.

On January 8, 2026, ICE agents fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during an encounter in Minneapolis. Federal authorities claimed the officer fired in self-defense after being run over, but video analysis from multiple angles showed the SUV was turning away from the agent when he fired three shots at close range. Protesters gathered Thursday at the ICE Field Office (Whipple Building) in St. Paul, where federal agents deployed pepper balls, mace, and tear gas.

Jose Roberto Ramirez, a 20-year-old member of the Red Lake Nation, was forcibly removed from his aunt's car by ICE agents in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and struck during the encounter. He was detained for approximately 10 hours. Tribal leaders and members of the Minnesota state legislature's Native American Caucus reported that federal agents were racially profiling Native Americans—U.S. citizens with dual tribal and federal citizenship—mistaking them for immigrants based on skin color. The incident was recorded on camera.

On January 8, 2026, Border Patrol agents entered a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota, and detained two U.S. citizen teenagers employed at the store: Jonathan Aguilar Garcia and Christian Miranda Romano. Despite the detainees presenting a U.S. passport and asserting their citizenship, agents proceeded with detention. Both were later verified as U.S. citizens and released without charges. Christian's family remained in contact with ICE during the detention, and the incident prompted protests calling for accountability and restrictions on agent access without warrants.

Ahmed Bin Hassan, a Somali American Uber driver and U.S. citizen, was accosted by over a dozen Border Patrol and ICE agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. The agents approached him citing his accent, which Bin Hassan later characterized as evidence of racial profiling. During the viral confrontation, Bin Hassan remained defiant, refusing to provide identification and questioning the agents' authority, before they ultimately walked away.

Federal officers drove through a crowd of protesters outside Hartford's federal building on January 8, 2026, striking at least one person with their vehicles. The protest was held as a vigil for Renee Macklin Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Hartford police are investigating potential hit-and-run and assault charges against the federal officers involved.

ICE agents arrested Alberto Castañeda Mondragón near a St. Paul shopping center on January 8, 2026, and claimed he suffered severe skull fractures and brain hemorrhages by running headfirst into a wall while handcuffed. Medical staff at Hennepin County Medical Center, including doctors and nurses, stated his injuries were inconsistent with that account and suggested he was mistreated by federal agents. Disagreement exists between ICE and hospital staff regarding custody practices and restraint policies.

A man named Julio, an ImmDef Law Center client and father of a U.S. military servicemember, died on February 25 after his health rapidly declined following ICE detention. Despite having a lawful pathway to permanent residency and being medically vulnerable, ICE refused to release him and he was handcuffed to a hospital bed during his final days. His attorney secured his release but the damage to his health was irreversible.

Dulce Consuelo Díaz Morales, a 22-year-old Maryland mother, was detained by ICE on December 14, 2025, and held for 25 days across facilities in Louisiana, Texas, and New Jersey. She presented a U.S. birth certificate and other documentation to support her citizenship claim, but DHS maintains she is not a citizen and crossed the border without authorization in 2023. Following legal intervention, a federal court judge issued an order preventing her immediate deportation, resulting in her release with an ankle monitor requirement and reunification with her 5-year-old son. She remains subject to ongoing deportation proceedings with a hearing scheduled for July 2026.

Mar Navarro, a DJ and founder of the Minneapolis club night Gothess, was detained by ICE agents on January 8, 2026, while visiting an immigrant-owned bakery in Northeast Minneapolis. Navarro was cuffed so tightly during the arrest that their wrists ached and required a splint for weeks afterward. They were transported to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building but ultimately released. The detention occurred during "Operation Metro Surge," a surge of 3,000 ICE agents deployed to Minnesota in early January 2026.

Anna Brauch, a local artist, was detained by ICE agents on January 8, 2026, in Northeast Minneapolis while standing near her car, which bore the message "trans rights are human rights." She was seized and beaten during the arrest, sustaining tendon injuries from rough handling. Brauch was transported to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building but was ultimately released. The detention occurred during "Operation Metro Surge," a surge of 3,000 ICE agents deployed to Minnesota in early January 2026.

Thi Dua Vang, who legally came to the U.S. in December 2023 and is awaiting green card approval, was detained by ICE agents on January 8, 2026 at her St. Paul home. She was transferred to detention facilities in Texas for nearly two weeks before an immigration judge ordered her release on bond. Since her release and required check-in with ICE, agents have reportedly returned to her home three additional times attempting to make contact.

ICE agents arrested Mexican immigrant Alberto Castañeda Mondragón on January 8, 2026, and claimed he suffered eight skull fractures and brain hemorrhages by running headfirst into a wall while handcuffed. Medical staff at Hennepin County Medical Center disputed this account, stating the injuries were inconsistent with such an accident. A federal judge ordered his release from ICE custody, though he faces significant memory loss and ongoing recovery.

Alberto C.M., a Mexican citizen who entered the country legally on a temporary H2B worker visa in 2022, was arrested by ICE agents in St. Paul during Operation Metro Surge and suffered life-threatening skull fractures and brain hemorrhages. A federal judge ordered his immediate release after 15 days of hospitalization, finding his detention unlawful as he was arrested without a warrant. Hospital records indicate C.M. reported being dragged and mistreated by federal agents, though ICE has refused to provide details about the cause of his injuries, only stating he "got his s*** rocked."

Jonathan Aguilar Garcia, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen and Target store employee in Richfield, Minnesota, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on January 8, 2026, along with coworker Christian Miranda Romano. Despite repeatedly asserting their U.S. citizenship and presenting identification including a passport, both teenagers were physically apprehended and removed from the store. Garcia was later released at a Walmart parking lot with injuries after his citizenship was verified.

On January 8, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol agents led by Chief Greg Bovino detained two U.S. citizen teenagers, Jonathan Aguilar Garcia and Christian Miranda Romano, while they were working at a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota. Both were apprehended based on their appearance during an immigration enforcement operation. Garcia presented a U.S. passport asserting his citizenship but was initially detained anyway; after verification, agents released him at a Walmart parking lot without charges or transportation assistance. Both individuals were injured during the detention. Miranda Romano, a minor with no criminal history, remained in detention at Fort Snelling despite his family's contact with ICE. State Representative Michael Howard criticized the incident, describing it as "pure madness."

Rafael Vela, a 64-year-old from El Salvador who had lived in the U.S. for over 40 years, was detained by federal agents outside his Silver Lake home on January 7, 2026. Video footage shows masked agents struggling to detain Vela as he reached his doorstep before removing him in an unmarked vehicle. Vela believed he had permanent resident status, but a letter later confirmed discrepancies regarding his actual residency status. Neighbors described him as a friendly community member and expressed concern about the force used during the detention. DHS confirmed the arrest as part of an immigration enforcement operation.

An investigation identified Border Patrol agents Michael Sveum (EZ-2) and Edgar Vazquez (EZ-17) from an El Paso BORTAC unit as key participants in violent federal enforcement operations across the Midwest. The agents were documented using chemical munitions, pepper spray, and tear gas against crowds in Chicago and Minneapolis, including at the scene where ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Renée Good on January 7, 2026. The investigation analyzed body camera footage, CBP reports, and incident videos to identify the agents and their role in multiple violent escalations.

According to an Instagram post, two individuals (described as a father and son) were detained by ICE agents who arrived in unmarked cars without a warrant. The post alleges the agents blocked in the vehicle, broke a window, and used force during the detention, including choking one individual with a jacket.

ICE agents detained Jose Martinez, a U.S. citizen and Coast Guard veteran, while he was sleeping in his cruise ship cabin during a Carnival cruise in the Caribbean. Agents tackled his wife Tamara Verhas and confiscated her phone to prevent recording. The couple was eventually released but forced to delete all photos and video documentation of the incident.

Rev. Kenny Callaghan, senior pastor at All God's Children Metropolitan Community Church in Minneapolis, was detained by ICE agents on January 7 while standing in solidarity with a Hispanic woman during a protest on Portland Avenue. Callaghan said agents pointed a gun at his face after he told them he was not afraid and offered himself instead of the woman they were approaching. He was handcuffed and placed in an unmarked vehicle for approximately 30 minutes. According to Callaghan, ICE agents then released him, saying "you're White. You wouldn't be fun anyway." Callaghan said the incident revealed to him that ICE raids are "really about fear and intimidation" and made him reflect on how such treatment is "some people's reality every single day of their lives."

ICE agents arrested Mubashir Hussen, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen of Somali descent, in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood during Operation Metro Surge in December 2025. Video footage documented agents slamming him against a door, placing him in a chokehold, and handcuffing him despite his repeated statements and multiple displays of his U.S. passport and identification. He was released after approximately two hours once agents confirmed his citizenship status. Hussen subsequently became the lead plaintiff in a class-action ACLU lawsuit, Hussen v. Noem, which documents a broader pattern of ICE and CBP detaining U.S. citizens, legal residents, and individuals with pending legal status across Minnesota. The lawsuit, supported by 29 sworn declarations, found that 100% of documented cases involved individuals with legal status, with Somali and Latino communities apparently systematically targeted based on appearance during Operation Metro Surge.

Two U.S. citizens were stopped by ICE agents in North Carolina. When the men began recording the encounter, agents attempted to stop the filming and escalated the stop to violence. Civil rights advocates stated the stop violated the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

ICE officers shot a woman in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, during a federal enforcement operation. According to video evidence documented in the article, officers approached a Honda Pilot SUV blocking a road. When the driver reversed and began turning away from the officers, a third officer fired three shots into the vehicle, including two shots after the car had passed the officer. DHS provided a different account of the incident.

Joey Martinez, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and U.S. citizen, was mistakenly detained by CBP officers aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship in Miami after being identified by name match with someone else who had outstanding warrants. Despite only his name matching and his other identifying information not aligning with the warrant, Martinez was forcefully removed from his stateroom, handcuffed, and held in an immigration cell until he could verify his identity with official documents. He was eventually released without charges, compensation, or an apology, and Carnival Cruise Lines did not inform him of the name issue before the ship's arrival despite allegedly being aware of it.

On January 4, 2026, ICE agents in vehicles with out-of-state license plates surveilled St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in Hopkins, Minnesota, during a Spanish-language Mass, positioning themselves outside the church building. Pastor Paul Haverstock reported that parishioners informed him of men wearing ski masks sitting in a car outside, prompting him to prepare his phone to record if agents entered during the service. Following this surveillance and the earlier deportation of church employee Francisco Paredes, attendance at the Spanish Mass dropped by half from over 400 people, and parishioners expressed fear of attending worship. Church leadership and Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon stated that ICE's presence outside the church violated the constitutional right to free exercise of religion.