Two Thirds of People Arrested by ICE in Minnesota Surge Had No Criminal Records, New Data Reveals
Quick Insights
The Bottom Line
ICE arrested 2,544 people with no criminal records in Minnesota since December 2025, contradicting White House claims all arrestees were dangerous criminals.
How This Affects You
If you are a non-citizen without criminal convictions, ICE enforcement operations now arrest at double the pre-January rate, increasing risk of detention and deportation regardless of criminal history.
AI Summary
A new data analysis reveals that 63 percent of the 4,030 people arrested by ICE in Minnesota from December 2025 to mid-March 2026 had no criminal convictions or pending charges, contradicting White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's February statement that all 4,000 arrested were "dangerous criminal illegal aliens." The enforcement operation, which intensified after an ICE agent killed Renee Nicole Good on January 7, 2026, saw arrest rates more than double to 74 per day afterward, compared to 32 per day before her death. Despite Trump administration officials repeatedly stating they would target Somalis in the Twin Cities—claiming they boasted the largest Somali community in the country—only 112 arrests of Somali citizens were recorded over the period. The data comes from ICE's own records released under a Freedom of Information Act request analyzed by The Intercept's Deportation Data Project.
What's Being Done
The Intercept's Deportation Data Project released ICE's own records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request analyzing the arrest data.
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