Father deported, Minnesota family struggles with separation after ICE arrest
Jan 1, 2026·Location: Burnsville, MN
Country of origin: Guatemala

Hugo Diaz, a 49-year-old Guatemalan immigrant who built a transportation business in Minnesota, was arrested by ICE in January 2026 and deported to Guatemala, leaving behind his wife Blanca Lara and two young sons in Burnsville. The family is among thousands separated by the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign, including Operation Metro Surge, which resulted in over 3,700 arrests across Minnesota. Diaz's younger son has stopped eating since his father's departure, and both children struggle emotionally with the separation.
Sources
More incidents in Minnesota
- Venezuelan man shot through door by ICE agent during raid; agent later chargedOct 4, 2026 · Minneapolis, MN
- Guatemalan man re-detained by ICE moments after judge ordered his releaseOct 1, 2026 · Fort Snelling, MN
- ICU nurse and U.S. citizen Alex Pretti shot 10 times by federal agents in MinneapolisSep 30, 2026 · Minneapolis, MN
- Minneapolis mother and legal observer fatally shot by ICE agent during enforcement operationSep 30, 2026 · Minneapolis, MN
- St. Paul man held at Guantánamo, allegedly beaten, deported to Somalia after mother's deathSep 25, 2026 · St. Paul, MN
- Mexican man re-arrested by plainclothes agents seconds after court-ordered releaseSep 25, 2026 · Fort Snelling, MN