Anti-ICE protesters face off with police in Minneapolis
A dozen demonstrators were arrested late Thursday during a noisy protest outside a Minneapolis hotel believed to be housing federal immigration officers.
In a statement from the University of Minnesota, 11 of the protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct and one was arrested for property damage outside the Graduate By Hilton hotel off University Avenue in Stadium Village.
"In an effort to balance free speech rights with a duty to maintain public order, those in attendance during four separate protest events were allowed to assemble in front of the hotel for more than 13 hours," university officials said in a statement. "On Feb. 5, officers gave five orders to disperse and those who refused to comply were arrested."
Officials say there were no reported injuries.
Here are the latest developments in Operation Metro Surge:
- Border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday federal authorities will "draw down" 700 law enforcement personnel in Minnesota immediately.
- White House officials say at least 4,000 arrests have been made in Minnesota since Operation Metro Surge began on Dec. 1, 2025.
- Pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionist Jake Lang was arrested Thursday in St. Paul for livestreaming himself destroying a sculpture on the front steps of the Minnesota State Capitol.
- Minnesota activist Kyle Wagner was also arrested Thursday and charged with threatening to assault and kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Read the latest updates below.
Federal immigration operations causing "severe economic disruption"
Immigration Enforcement operations across the U.S. are resulting in "severe economic disruption," according to State Auditor Julie Blaha.
Fifteen fiscal officers throughout the country, along with Blaha, in a joint letter to President Trump on Friday warned that recent enforcement activities have disrupted "daily economic life."
"Our responsibilities require us to safeguard state fiscal health, manage public funds prudently, and ensure the economic stability our budgets depend upon," the letter said. "The enforcement operations currently underway across multiple states threaten to produce economic harm that directly undermine these obligations."
The coalition added that business leaders have shared concern about the impacts the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge is having on their workforces and operations.
Blaha said border czar Tom Homan's announcement on Wednesday that 700 federal agents would be leaving Minnesota is a "step in the right direction," but does not address the "broader impact" of Operation Metro Surge.
The coalition is asking the Trump administration to immediately scale back enforcement activities and to ensure economic stability.
Minneapolis Public Schools extend online learning options
Minneapolis Public Schools announced late Thursday it's extending online learning options through April 6 for families who need it as ICE activity continues.
The virtual learning option was originally set to end on Feb. 12.
In the announcement, district officials said they will continue to monitor the situation and may return to full in-person learning sooner than the first week of April.
If that happens, the district said it will give families at least two weeks' notice.
Minnesota activist Kyle Wagner arrested and charged with threatening ICE agents
A Minnesota activist was arrested Thursday and charged with threatening to assault and kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the Justice Department said.
Prosecutors allege that Kyle Wagner, 37, shared comments and videos to Facebook and Instagram last month that encouraged his followers to attack federal immigration officers, who he called the "gestapo" and "murderers." He is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court on Thursday.
Far-right influencer Jake Lang arrested for vandalizing sculpture on Minnesota Capitol steps
Law enforcement arrested pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionist and far-right influencer Jake Lang in St. Paul for destroying a sculpture on the front steps of the Capitol on Thursday.
Lang posted a video to social media of him kicking the newly-installed sculpture that reads "prosecute ICE."
A state trooper arrested Lang a short time later near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and University Avenue. He was booked at the Ramsey County Jail for suspicion of criminal damage to property.
In a post to X, Lang claims he is being charged with a felony.
The sculpture had been put up earlier the same day by a group of veterans who were protesting ICE's ongoing presence in Minnesota.
As ICE activity increases in Northfield, neighbors step up to support each other
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations aren't only happening in the Twin Cities.
Federal agents are also working in smaller towns, and in some, seeing similar resistance from the community.
In Northfield, Minnesota, the mayor says ICE activity isn't slowing down.
Northfield — self-described city of "cows, colleges, and contentment" — with its downtown of coffee shops and mom and pops, seems like a place where the best of times endure. But in the last few weeks, anxiety has been rising.
"Originally it was a car or two a day, now it's multiple car loads, the number of ICE agents in the car is increasing," Erica Zweifel, the mayor of Northfield, said.
Nearly 160 people arrested for impeding, assaulting federal officers in Minnesota last month
Border czar Tom Homan said a drawdown in federal agents will happen when more Minnesota counties cooperate and if people stop interfering with federal agents.
"If you violate the law, you will be federally prosecuted," Homan said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Homan says in the past month, 158 people have been arrested for impeding or assaulting federal officers, with 85 cases already accepted for prosecution.
The Department of Homeland Security posted photos of nine people on X, saying, "more agitators arrested in Minneapolis."
One pictured in the post is Davis Redmond. Court documents say he was "driving aggressively" while following border patrol agents through Minneapolis before he "suddenly (accelerated) his car, colliding with the black GMC" driven by border patrol.
Clergy arrested protesting ICE at MSP Airport share story: "It was holy."
Nearly two weeks after 99 clergy members were arrested and charged during a protest at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, three are sitting down to share their story.
Rev. Katherine Lewis of St. David's Episcopal Church in Minnetonka, Rev. Daniel Ruth, executive director of Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry, and Rev. Amanda Lunemann of Grace United Methodist Church in Burnsville each say they felt a calling to be at the airport protest, despite the risk of arrest and the reality of the bone-chilling cold.
"My vocation has been to walk beside my neighbors. This has been a really intentional, concrete way to do that," Ruth said. "Part of being a faith leader is trying to get at what is true. The sort of underlying assumption of the whole surge is that immigrants are criminals and immigrants and dangerous. I don't think the facts bear that out."
Each of the three say their faith was the driving factor.
"To show up, to put your body on the line, is not something you should do out of bravado, it should be a call," Lunemann said. "This is not how we treat human beings. We don't do that. We're not going to do that. We're going to stand up for a different story."
Minneapolis City Council approves $1 million in rental assistance for families impacted by ICE surge
The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday to give a $1 million of rental assistance to Hennepin County to help families impacted during Operation Metro Surge.
Council members say they've spoken with community members too afraid to go to work due to fear of being apprehended.
"I spoke to a mom who is disabled, her husband is in detention. She's now suddenly become a single parent. She's behind on rent," said Council member Aisha Chughtai. "Every story is tragic. It is heartbreaking."
Council members say the funds would benefit 250 families, but stress it's just a drop in the bucket. The council debated where the money would come from.
St. Cloud man arrested twice by ICE shares story of confusion, terror
Community leaders in St. Cloud, Minnesota, say federal agents have detained at least 10 Somali people there and arrested several more during protests.
One man says he was arrested and released, only to be arrested again.
Video taken from outside a St. Cloud grocery store shows Mohamed Jama being taken into custody.
Court records say Immigration and Customs Enforcement was looking for another person whom they mistook Jama for and tried to pull him over. Jama says he was frightened and tried to drive away.
"I wish they would have a siren on me, I would've stopped earlier, but that never happened. Unmarked vehicles chasing you," Jama said.
Crow Wing County jail houses dozens of ICE detainees at a time. Here's a look at the conditions inside
Most of the 4,000 people that the Department of Homeland Security says they've arrested since the start of Operation Metro Surge are taken to the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis.
Some go out of state, and the rest go to a handful of Minnesota county jails that have agreements with the federal authorities.
The Crow Wing County Jail started accepting ICE detainees in November 2025. The county sheriff, Eric Klang, says that oftentimes, they're brought in a few at a time.
"We have anywhere from 50 to 30 detainees at any one time, give or take. I mean, they're coming and going all the time," said Klang.
Twin Cities tow truck driver returns abandoned vehicles to families after ICE arrests
Juan Leon had only been running his Twin Cities tow truck business, Leo's Towing, for a few months when he noticed a pattern that kept repeating itself.
Cars were being left behind across the metro area – parked on streets, in parking lots, sometimes for days at a time. The owners were gone, and in many cases, they had been arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"Seeing there was a need for someone to help out, help clear the streets and get the people back their vehicles. So we stepped up and started doing it," Leon said.
By late December, Leon and his small towing crew decided to do something about it, all thanks to observers calling in and reporting these vehicles.
"Families reach out to us. If the family isn't reaching out, we'll find a way to get inside the vehicle and we'll bring it back to their house and put it in a safe spot," Leon said.
Doctors say fear of immigration enforcement is keeping some patients away from critical care
Patients in Minnesota are canceling appointments and deferring critical health care needs because of fear of immigration enforcement as the federal crackdown continues, doctors say. Those physicians worry the impacts will last long after the surge subsides.
Dr. Roli Dwivedi, who practices family medicine and also works at the University of Minnesota, explained health care organizations are still trying to get a sense of the scope, but she believes the number of cancellations could be as high as 50% or 60%.
"People are not choosing to come because the fear is just so intense," said Dwivedi.
Anxiety about encountering U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents at clinics and hospitals cuts across immigrant communities, regardless of their immigration status, she told WCCO in an interview.
Minnesota women say they fell victim to scam trying to get loved ones out of ICE custody
As thousands in Minnesota grapple with loved ones facing deportation, the fight in the immigration court system has become a critical lifeline. For at least two Ecuadorian women, their efforts to find legal assistance turned out to compound their problems, telling WCCO that they believe they've been scammed.
Geovana Patricia said that when ICE detained her husband, she didn't know who to turn to; that is, until a friend, Alexandra Chorlango, recommended an attorney whom she contacted for help after her brother was detained.
Patricia called a number with a Florida area code on a digital flyer for "Inmigrate & Asociados L.LC." A woman claiming to be an attorney, whom WCCO is not yet naming, told her that she could help, but immediately asked for a payment of $1,500 to start the process.
"I was so desperate that I sent it to them," Patricia said. "I was scammed, maybe because I was desperate. I just wanted to help my husband."
The recent surge of ICE agents has had a toll on Minnesotans' mental health
Many in the community and mental health experts are finding ways of handling it.
"I mean, my last six therapy sessions have been basically all talking about this," said Nate P.
"It really wears on people. It's kind of always in the back of your mind, and it's hard to not think about it," said Angela Keppel.
Fear and uncertainty are taking a toll on the community, with many unsure of how to cope.
Mental health concerns are on the rise as immigration enforcement plays out in Minnesota and across the country.
"We're seeing the images, it's hard to look away," said Marcus Schmit, executive director of NAMI Minnesota. "People are feeling helpless, as they watch friends, neighbors, kids impacted."
"Tsunami" of immigration detention cases strains U.S. Attorney's offices across America
As immigration sweeps and detentions have expanded in Minnesota and around the country, the work of justifying those detentions is overwhelming federal prosecutors, who are being forced to sideline a range of other criminal and civil cases in order to keep pace.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota declared in a new brief filed in federal court that his staff faces "an enormous burden" and that a "flood" of immigration cases is negatively affecting his office's work.
"This office has been forced to shift its already limited resources from other pressing and important priorities," wrote U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel Rosen, who was only confirmed to his post last October.
"Paralegals are continuously working overtime. Lawyers are continuously working overtime," he wrote. "All this is happening while the MN-USAO Civil division is down 50%."
