MN ICE Witness ❄️🧊

In what is believed to be the first time local police in Minnesota intervened in a federal law enforcement action during Operation Metro Surge, the St. Peter police chief prevented federal agents from arresting a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement.

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Richfield Public Schools confirmed that federal agents were present on a school bus route on January 30, 2026. Once staff realized agents were on the route, staff and vetted volunteers went to the bus to ensure student safety.

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0... #ice

Christian Salamanca, a Colombian asylum seeker with a valid visa and work permit, was hospitalized with serious injuries after his wife says ICE agents chased him and rammed his car into a telephone pole at McDonough Community Center in St. Paul. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0... #minnesota #stpaul

Luis Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was boxed in by federal agents in a Minneapolis suburb on his way to work. Masked agents demanded his ID and scanned his face with the Mobile Fortify app, releasing him only after he showed his U.S. passport. #minnesota mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

In what is believed to be the first time local police in #Minnesota intervened in a federal law enforcement action during Operation Metro Surge, the St. Peter police chief prevented federal agents from arresting a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Little Canada Elementary School in Roseville Area Schools implemented "secure" protocol after #ICE agents were observed in vehicles in the school parking lot during school hours. The school locked all entrances while classes continued normally inside. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0... #minnesota

Immigration Agents Have Often Grabbed and Mistreated Citizens, Congressional Investigators Find Prompted by ProPublica’s reporting, an investigation by Senate Democrats documented the experiences of nearly two dozen citizens wrongly detained by immigration agents, contradicting the Trump adminis...

Our site mn-ice-witness.org focuses on documenting individual incidents in #minnesota.

For in-depth reporting and analysis of broader #ICE enforcement patterns and civil rights concerns, we encourage you to read: www.propublica.org/article/immi...

@propublica.org

MN ICE Witness - A Sourced Listing of ICE Incidents in MN Up-to-date sourced listing of ICE and CBP civil rights incidents in Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge

See what's happening on the ground in Minnesota. Our site offers fact based documentation of #ICE enforcement, maintained by community volunteers, compiled from a variety of sources. Explore the incidents and their sources from no matter where you are from. #minneapolis

Columbia Academy Principal Leslee Sherk says at least 14 families at her school have been affected by immigration enforcement. She now dreads Mondays: "Each Monday comes with voicemails detailing parents detained by ICE." #minnesota #minneapolis #ice

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Two newly added incidents: ICE detains Food Shelf Volunteers.

Occured Jan 28: mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Occured Jan 15: mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Asylum-Seeking Mother Detained at Check-In; Principal Brings Her Children to Whipple | MN ICE Witness An asylum-seeking mother of two Valley View Elementary students was detained during an immigration check-in on January 29, 2026. With no family in Minnesota to care for her children (ages 7-9), she...

An asylum-seeking mother of two students (ages 7-9) was detained on January 29, 2026. With no family in Minnesota, she asked Principal Jason Kuhlman to bring them to the Whipple Federal Building. The eldest child broke into tears upon entering the building.

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Fridley Superintendent Says ICE Followed Her to Work; Board Members Report ICE Outside Homes | MN ICE Witness Fridley Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Lewis reported on January 29, 2026, that ICE agents followed her to work in the morning and again in the evening while attending a bingo night at one of...

Today, Jan 29th Fridley Superintendent Says ICE Followed Her to Work; Board Members Report ICE Outside Homes.

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Thank you @aubrey333.bsky.social based on your input and from another community member the location has been updated to Whittier Wildflowers Preschool 2608 Blaisdell Ave S.

However, the incident is still unverified by a media source:

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Four Restaurant Workers Detained at El Potro in Brainerd | MN ICE Witness Four employees were detained by Homeland Security Investigation agents at El Potro Mexican Restaurant in downtown Brainerd. The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office assisted with executing two federal...

Four employees were detained by #ice agents at El Potro Mexican Restaurant in Brainerd. The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office helped execute two federal felony warrants, but officials haven’t explained why four people were taken when only two were named. The restaurant has since closed.

Thanks @aubrey333.bsky.social we are tracking verified incidents reported in the media.

Do you know of any reporting about this incident?

"You raise your voice, I erase your voice."

"Are you serious? You said if I raise my voice, you will erase my voice?"

"Yes, exactly."

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0... #ice #minnesota #minneapolis

ICE Agents Deploy Tear Gas Outside Minneapolis Preschool (UNVERIFIED) | MN ICE Witness A video circulating on social media shows ICE agents deploying tear gas outside a Minneapolis preschool on the morning of January 28, 2026. Parents can be heard shouting "This is a preschool! There...

Minneapolis — help us confirm where this video was taken and which preschool is being mentioned. It was posted on 1/28/26, and you can hear people saying, “This is a preschool! There’s kids here!” If you recognize the location, please email mnicewitness@gmail.com. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

"I Was Yelling at Them to Take Me With Him": Mother Holds Daughter as Husband Detained in Northeast Minneapolis.

The woman, identified only as Jenny, pleaded with agents to deport her alongside her husband so the family could stay together.

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Legal Visa Holder Hospitalized With Skull Fractures; ICE Claims He "Purposely Ran Headfirst Into a Brick Wall"

Alberto Mondragon sustained catastrophic head injuries while in ICE custody. Hospital records show he was "dragged and mistreated by federal agents."

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Elderly Couple Has Guns Pointed at Them After Following ICE Vehicle | MN ICE Witness John Biestman and Janet Lee, a married couple in their late 60s from Linden Hills, had guns pointed at them and were threatened with arrest after following an ICE vehicle from a raid at Church of t...

This occured on Dec 7th, during the beginning of Operation Metro Surge -- full incident details can be found here:

mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2025-1...

Review **48 verified ICE incidents in Minnesota**, documenting community members detained under Operation Metro Surge — including non‑criminal immigrants, business owners, workers, and asylum seekers. #ice #trump

mn-ice-witness.org/list/immigra...

All Incidents | MN ICE Witness Complete list of documented ICE and CBP civil rights incidents in Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge.

Operation Metro Surge began in Dec 2025 under the Trump administration, bringing 3,000 federal agents into Minnesota, the largest DHS operation ever announced. If you want verified, sourced reports of what’s happened since, check out this sourced listing of #ice incidents in #minneapolis and beyond.

Bovino Tells CNN Agents Are "The Victims" in Pretti Shooting; Says Second Amendment Rights "Don't Count" | MN ICE Witness In a CNN "State of the Union" interview with Dana Bash the morning after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino claimed his agents were "the victims....

In a CNN "State of the Union" interview with Dana Bash the morning after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino claimed his agents were "the victims." mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0... #minnesota #ice

Bovino Blames Politicians, Community Leaders, and Journalists for "Tragic Consequences" | MN ICE Witness At a press conference the day after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino blamed politicians, community leaders, and journalists for what he called ...

"Those actions and choices can obviously have tragic consequences, bad outcomes, outcomes that law enforcement never wants to see. Law enforcement never wants to see a bad consequence due to a poor choice." #minnesota #ice mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Federal Judge Patrick ordered ICE acting director Todd Lyons to appear in court Friday to explain why he shouldn’t be held in contempt for violating court orders, after Ecuadorean Man Held 3 Weeks Despite Court Order. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0... #minnesota #ice

Hopkins Family of Four Detained; Returned After ICE Violates Court Order | MN ICE Witness ICE detained Maria Velasco Hurtado while she was driving to work, then went to the family's Hopkins home and used her detention as leverage to get her husband Luis Fernando Chulca Chiluisa and thei...

ICE detained Maria, then went to the family’s Hopkins home and used her arrest to pressure her husband, Luis, and their children to come outside, where they were also detained. Despite a federal order requiring them to stay in MN, #ICE flew the family to TX. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

A free, fact-based documentation of ICE enforcement and its impact on Minnesota communities, maintained by community volunteers. If you find this site useful, please help share. mn-ice-witness.org/list

Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino deployed hexachloroethane gas at Mueller Park on 1/21/26 in #minneapolis, near a school playground. The U.S. military phased out HC grenades after a 1994 report found brief high‑dose exposure had caused injuries and deaths. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

Seeking video confirmation: A 15‑year‑old girl was reportedly pepper‑sprayed by an ICE agent, on 1/16/26, while observing an enforcement operation at Skyline Gardens, a manufactured home community in Owatonna. If you have footage, contact mnicewitness@gmail.com. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...

A teacher at Un Mundo Nuevo Children’s Academy was detained by ICE on January 7, 2026, after being lured outside by a false claim that her car had been hit. The daycare told parents she is “a legal resident of this country.” She was released about 10 minutes later. mn-ice-witness.org/entry/2026-0...