The 20-year-old said he repeatedly told the agents he was a US citizen and offered to produce his passport, but was still taken to a federal building and held until he was finally allowed to show his identification
A 20-year-old US citizen from Minneapolis says he was wrongfully detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents this week, even after repeatedly telling them he was an American and offering to show his passport, as reported by Newsweek. The arrest has triggered sharp criticism from local leaders and civil rights advocates who say the incident highlights broader concerns about immigration enforcement practices in the US.
The young man named Mubashir described the encounter during a press conference. According to his account, he was in the Cedar-Riverside neighbourhood when a masked ICE agent forced him into a vehicle. “The agent then, at one point, he never identified himself, he didn’t say ‘ICE stop.’ I feel like I was getting assaulted, I was getting kidnapped,” Mubashir told reporters.
Mubashir says he repeatedly told the agents he was a US citizen and offered to produce his passport, but was still taken to a federal building and held until he was finally allowed to show his identification.
The detention took place as part of “Operation Metro Surge,” a new immigration enforcement initiative launched recently in the Twin Cities by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The operation has seen increased activity by ICE throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, focusing on individuals suspected of living in the country unlawfully, especially those with outstanding removal orders or criminal convictions, according to officials.
But city leaders have voiced alarm over the circumstances of Mubashir’s arrest. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara said they are seeking more information and expressed deep concern about the impact of enforcement actions on local communities. “By specifically targeting Somali families in Minnesota—home to the nation’s largest Somali community—the administration endangers lives and destabilises entire neighbourhoods,” they said in a joint statement. “This action continues a pattern of harm we have come to expect from policies driven by division and discrimination.”
Their comments reflect growing unease among residents and advocates who argue that such enforcement efforts can erode trust between immigrant communities and law-enforcement, and risk harming citizens and legal residents who are wrongly identified as undocumented.
ICE has defended its enforcement operations, saying they are targeting individuals with legal warrants or orders. But critics say cases like Mubashir’s only add to mounting concerns about aggressive immigration tactics that fail to adequately verify a person’s status before making an arrest.
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