Twenty-year-old refugee shackled at ankles for three days at Whipple Federal Building, forced to sleep standing in room with 100 people
Jan 2026·Location: Fort Snelling, MN
Country of origin: Somalia

A 20-year-old Minneapolis resident with refugee status was detained at the Whipple Federal Building. He was taken to a room he estimated was for 20 people, but within two hours it filled with about 100 people. He was cuffed at his ankles for his entire three-day detention: 'My ankles hurt because the cuffs were meant for wrists and were too small for my feet. I asked them to loosen the cuffs a little, but they refused.' On the third day, ICE also chained his stomach and handcuffed his wrists. He described overflowing toilets with no privacy, guards refusing toilet paper, and having to sleep standing up due to overcrowding. He still has marks on his ankles.
Sources
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