One day of civil cases filed provides snapshot of who's being detained during Operation Metro Surge
In just the last month, Minnesota federal courts have seen hundreds of civil suits filed on behalf of people picked up during Operation Metro Surge.
Filings following arrests during Operation Metro Surge include women and children detained at a Minneapolis home and a 2-year-old named Chloe taken into custody with her dad.
"This community is safer because we arrested 4,000, over 4,000 illegal aliens here, many of them a public safety threat, not all of them," border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday.
While the feds say the operation targeted public safety threats or the worst of the worst, a WCCO investigation found people with no criminal history have also been picked up.
On Jan. 22, 2026, attorneys filed 20 civil suits seeking a client's constitutional right to due process.
The petitions for release give details about the person and where they were picked up by ICE.
Six were arrested in the community, doing things like picking up a prescription and getting groceries. Five were arrested at home, including a pregnant woman. Four were detained when they showed up to a planned immigration check-in.
"In my experience, they're arresting people who are applying for family visas, who have already applied for asylum, who are going to their check-ins and their court dates on time," immigration attorney Carrie Peltier, who is not associated with these cases, said.
In one case, a pregnant mother from Ecuador was on her way to work when she was stopped. According to her petition, the agents went to her home and then took her husband and two boys into custody. Each has a pending asylum petition and no criminal history.
"The people they're picking up are just families, families who are in a process, or families who are going to court. And they don't have a criminal history," Peltier said.
In the filings, WCCO found three people with more than a traffic violation — convictions for disorderly conduct, DWI and criminal sexual conduct, all misdemeanors.
From what WCCO could see, most have a petition for asylum. A few are in removal proceedings but are appealing. They're originally from places like Kenya, Venezuela, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.
Four cases were dismissed or moved to another jurisdiction.
Of the 16 cases that moved forward in Minnesota, judges ordered the release of the person.
Plainly stated, this data shows the majority of the people detained by ICE who filed civil suits on Jan. 22 have no criminal record. Where their cases go from here remains to be seen.
An expert at the University of Minnesota says the data gives a snapshot of what's happening in the community, what people are seeing on the street and what observers have been reporting: long-term community members, many seeking safety, who are going about their daily lives, are being swept up in this operation.
