St. Paul man held at Guantánamo, allegedly beaten, deported to Somalia after mother's death
Sep 25, 2026·Location: St. Paul, MN
Country of origin: Somalia

Adam Mohamed Abdullah, a 31-year-old Somali auto mechanic and asylum seeker living in St. Paul, was arrested by masked federal agents on December 12, 2025 during 'Operation Metro Surge,' despite holding a work permit, Social Security number, a pending asylum application, and no criminal record beyond two parking tickets, and despite regularly attending ICE check-ins. He was moved through detention facilities in Minnesota, Kentucky and Louisiana over roughly nine months before being transferred to Guantánamo Bay's Camp Six in late August alongside fellow Minnesotans Hassan Abdi Abtidoon and Abdullahi Jamal Abdi. His attorney, Marc Prokosch, said communication with him was limited and possibly not confidential, calling the use of the base a 'political scare tactic,' a characterization Sen. Tina Smith echoed after DHS described the group as having serious criminal histories without presenting evidence specific to Abdullah. Abdullah began a hunger strike over lack of information, after which he said guards beat him and placed him in a freezing solitary cell; while detained, his mother died after authorities denied his request for an international call and voluntary departure to see her. The ACLU sued the federal government over its use of Guantánamo for civil immigration detention, with a hearing set for October 14. Abdullah and the other two men were flown through Kenya and deported to Somalia around September 25, 2026.
Timeline
Sources
- visaverge.com
- Documented
- St. Paul man arrested in ICE surge sent to Guantanamo Bay
mprnews.org·Sep 9, 2026
- Somali Migrant With Legal Right to Live in US Sent to Guantánamo
truthout.org·Sep 9, 2026
- ICE Sends Legal Immigrant to Guantánamo Bay
newrepublic.com·Sep 9, 2026
- 'Worst of the Worst': ICE Reportedly Sends Legal Somali Resident to Guantánamo Bay Without Warrant
ibtimes.co.uk·Sep 10, 2026
- St. Paul man arrested in ICE surge sent to Guantanamo Bay - Hiiraan Online
- Man arrested in St. Paul among 8 deported to Somalia from Guantanamo Bay
mprnews.org·Sep 25, 2026
- Eight Somalis deported from Guantánamo arrive in Mogadishu
somaliatoday.com·Sep 26, 2026
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