Rep. Mohamud Noor, flanked by DFL lawmakers and other community leaders, speaks during a press conference addressing reports of an increased ICE presence specifically targeting Somali people and denouncing xenophobic remarks President Donald Trump made about the Somali community Wednesday, Dec. 3. Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer
As state Rep. Mohamud Noor approached the podium in a community center gym to address reporters on Wednesday, he glanced at his phone.
“Right now, as I speak to you, someone who was a patient, they dragged out, and the nurse just sent me a text message saying that that individual who she was providing services to was abducted,” said Noor, a Democrat whose Minneapolis district includes the large Somali-American community in Cedar-Riverside.
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents increase arrests in Minnesota — part of a targeted campaign ordered by President Donald Trump — Democratic elected officials and immigrant rights activists say they are sorting through hundreds of messages claiming to have spotted ICE agents or immigrant arrests.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota, said he received several reports of ICE arrests but couldn’t put a number on it since news of the ICE deployment emerged Tuesday morning.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN, speaks during a press conference addressing reports of an increased ICE presence specifically targeting Somali people and denouncing xenophobic remarks President Donald Trump made about the Somali community Wednesday, Dec. 3. Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer
The federal government does not release statistics on daily immigration arrests, and immigrant detention center rosters are not searchable online without knowing the detainee’s name — and those records are not always up to date, said Michele Garnett McKenzie, executive director of Advocates for Human Rights.
That means activists must verify arrests with family members or witnesses, trawling through a sea of panicked messages to sort out the truth.
“There have been some false alarms because the level of anxiety is so high, and we’re trying our best to not only disseminate information but facts — find out what’s real, what’s happening, what’s not happening,” said state Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Advocates are focused on informing Minnesota residents — immigrants and non-immigrants — of their rights. Those include the right to refuse to open the door to federal agents if they do not have a warrant; the right to remain silent; and the right to a lawyer.
State Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis, and Hussein were among others who spent the morning handing out small red cards, in Somali and Oromo, summarizing individuals’ constitutional rights.
ICE agents have been accused of violating the constitutional rights of immigrants and American citizens, including detaining U.S. citizens for days. They have used munitions including pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters — including in the Twin Cities — resulting in injuries.
“We are a nation of immigrants and of rights, but only if we are brave enough to defend it,” Mohamed said Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, one day after a lengthy rant calling Somali people “garbage,” Trump doubled down on his comments, calling Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey a “fool” for being proud of the city’s Somali population.
This story originally appeared Dec. 3 in the Minnesota Reformer. It was written by Madison McVan, a Report for America corps member who covers economic mobility for the Minnesota Reformer.
The Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com.