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US-born citizen, 25, stopped and questioned while shoveling snow with his mother because they spoke Somali

Jan 2026·Location: Minneapolis, MN

Country of origin: United States

Mahamed Rufai Eydarus, a 25-year-old US-born citizen, was shoveling snow when federal agents approached him and his US citizen mother and asked for their IDs. The agents questioned Eydarus about speaking Somali to his mother. Federal judge Eric Tostrud found that Eydarus and his mother 'were stopped and detained based solely on their race or ethnicity.' The incident left Eydarus feeling 'constantly stressed and afraid.'

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