The Potluck

Gov. Walz urges Noem to review Minnesota ICE arrests after reports of detained U.S. citizens

By: - December 10, 2025 4:39 pm

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem holds a press conference in Minneapolis to discuss ICE operations and immigration enforcement in Minnesota on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Photo by Glen Stubbe/Minnesota Reformer)

Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday urged U.S. Secretary of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem to review all recent arrests in Minnesota after reports that at least two U.S. citizens were detained this week in the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.

On Tuesday, a man alleged that federal immigration officers chased him on foot in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, tackled him and arrested him even though he’s a U.S. citizen, the Sahan Journal reported. Mubashir, who declined to share his last name, said he offered to show officers his I.D. and said he was a citizen multiple times. The officers ignored him, Mubashir said.

A 55-year-old woman, who is a U.S. citizen, was also arrested in Minneapolis Tuesday after confronting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers over the arrest of her neighbors, according to MPR News.

In his letter to Noem, Walz said the arrests raise concerns about the due process rights of U.S citizens.

“The forcefulness, lack of communication and unlawful practices displayed by your agents will not be tolerated in Minnesota,” Walz told Noem in his letter.

Walz urged the Homeland Security secretary to find out whether agents possessed a warrant authorizing search and seizure. Any federal agents who acted unlawfully should be placed on administrative leave, Walz wrote.

The Minnesota governor, who is seeking reelection to a third term next year, also asked that Noem clarify the legal standard for citizen observing law enforcement interactions, ensure ICE agents receive clear guidance about respecting the civil rights of U.S. citizens and to “reassess the broader ‘surge’ enforcement strategy.”

The Trump administration has ramped up the presence of federal agents in Minnesota in the past two weeks. It’s unclear how many people have been detained by ICE. DHS has identified 19 people arrested by agents who are allegedly in the U.S. illegally and have criminal records.

“Our state’s safety and community trust depend not only on effective law enforcement, but on justice, fairness and respect for civil liberties,” Walz said in his letter. “We cannot allow public trust to be further damaged by detaining citizens under unclear or questionable circumstances.”

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Michelle Griffith
Michelle Griffith

Michelle Griffith covers Minnesota politics and policy for the Reformer. She's also covering the 2026 race for Minnesota governor. Most recently she was a reporter with The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead in North Dakota where she covered state and local government and Indigenous issues.

Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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