Federal Dragnet Hits Minnesota And Louisiana: Somali Nationals Detained
Federal immigration agents have detained Somali nationals in Minneapolis just 48 hours after President Donald Trump directed criticism toward immigrants from the Horn of Africa, signaling an intensification of enforcement operations in major Democratic-run cities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the operation on Thursday, stating that arrests began on Monday. While the agency declined to provide a total number of those taken into custody, they released profiles of 12 apprehended individuals: five from Somalia, with the others hailing from Mexico and El Salvador.
The operation followed a televised cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where President Trump explicitly targeted Minnesota’s Somali population.
Citing government fraud, the President expressed a desire to remove them from the country, a continuation of the hardline anti-immigration stance that defined his campaign. Since taking office in January, the administration has utilized federal agents in aggressive sweeps aimed at driving deportation numbers to record highs.
The enforcement wave has struck the south simultaneously. DHS officials confirmed dozens of arrests were made on Thursday in New Orleans.
Tensions regarding the operations spilled over into local government proceedings in Louisiana. On the second day of the New Orleans sweep, demonstrators disrupted a city council meeting. The protesters demanded that council members designate city property as “ICE Free” zones to prevent federal agents from staging operations on municipal grounds.
The protests center on accusations that federal agents are engaging in racial profiling. Activists allege that agents are indiscriminately targeting people of color—including U.S. citizens with no criminal records.
The Department of Homeland Security has categorically denied these allegations, maintaining that its operations are targeted and conducted within the bounds of the law.
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