ICE Accused of Detaining CITIZENS Based on Appearance Alone

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has publicly accused federal ICE agents of systematically detaining American citizens based solely on their appearance during what he calls the most troubling law enforcement operation he’s witnessed in his career.

Story Snapshot

Federal ICE agents deployed 3,000 officers to Minneapolis—five times the size of the city’s police force—in Operation Metro Surge.
Minneapolis Police Chief alleges ICE agents are racially profiling American citizens, stopping people “for simply appearing to be Somali or appearing to be Latino.”
Off-duty police officers of color report being among those profiled and harassed by federal agents.
The operation resulted in a fatal shooting of Renee Good on January 7, 2026, with conflicting accounts from local officials and the Trump administration.
Minnesota officials filed a federal lawsuit to halt the ICE operation, while a federal judge imposed restrictions on ICE protest tactics.

Federal Operation Sparks Constitutional Concerns

Operation Metro Surge deployed approximately 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents to Minneapolis with an additional 1,500 troops on standby. This unprecedented federal presence in a single American city raises serious questions about enforcement standards and civil liberties protections. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CBS “60 Minutes” that residents are being detained for appearing foreign rather than for any actual immigration violation. This contradicts fundamental constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, principles conservatives have long defended against government overreach.

ICE Claims Don’t Match Reality on the Ground

ICE official Marcos Charles defended the operation as “targeted enforcement,” claiming agents only interact with individuals incidentally while traveling to identified targets. Yet Chief O’Hara’s accounts tell a different story entirely. He noted that profiling complaints are coming exclusively from Somali, Latino, and Native American residents, not white ethnic communities. The Minnesota Star Tribune has documented multiple cases where American citizens were detained when unable to immediately prove citizenship. This pattern suggests systematic rather than incidental stops, undermining ICE’s official explanation and raising concerns about due process violations.

Off-Duty Officers Experience Federal Harassment

The situation became particularly troubling when off-duty police officers of color reported being profiled and harassed by ICE agents. These are law enforcement professionals who themselves carry badges and serve their communities, yet they faced detention attempts based on appearance alone. This development exposes the operation’s fundamental flaw: agents are making enforcement decisions based on racial and ethnic characteristics rather than actual evidence of immigration violations. For conservatives who value law and order, this represents a dangerous erosion of professional standards and constitutional protections that should concern every American regardless of political affiliation.

Sanctuary City Policies Meet Federal Authority

Minneapolis implemented sanctuary ordinances preventing local police from inquiring about immigration status, creating jurisdictional tension with federal enforcement. While conservatives generally support robust immigration enforcement, the methods matter enormously. The Trump administration’s approach here has prompted even local law enforcement to sound alarms about constitutional violations. Minnesota officials filed a federal lawsuit to halt the operation, and U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez imposed restrictions on ICE protest tactics. These legal interventions suggest judicial concern about enforcement methods, indicating this case may establish important precedent regarding federal authority limits and civil liberties protections in immigration enforcement operations.

Minneapolis carries documented baggage regarding racial discrimination in law enforcement. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights found the Minneapolis Police Department engaged in systematic race discrimination, resulting in a court-enforceable agreement in March 2023. This history makes current racial profiling allegations particularly significant. The fatal shooting of Renee Good on January 7, 2026, further escalated community tensions, with local officials contending she posed no threat while the Trump administration claims the agent acted in self-defense. These conflicting accounts remain unresolved, adding to community distrust and ongoing protests that have confronted federal agents in Minneapolis streets.