WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, facing public backlash and congressional fights over DHS funding, Tom Homan announced ICE would draw down operations in Minnesota—a defensive move meant to quiet critics. But on the ground, ICE is escalating enforcement. ICE agents are pushing enforcement into suburban communities, arresting legal observers who document their activities, working with state police to conduct stops based on race and language, and seriously injuring immigrants in custody.
From Minnesota to Tennessee and beyond, ICE is operating with impunity, ramping up enforcement operations without federal accountability.
Here are four key examples of ICE’s latest abuses:
Expanded to Suburbs and Arrested Legal Observers
Despite Homan’s assurances of a “softer approach” in Minnesota, ICE operations have intensified across the Twin Cities metro area, including enforcement actions in Bloomington and other suburban communities. Community members and legal observers who attempted to document these operations—a constitutionally protected activity—faced arrests and intimidation from ICE agents. Multiple advocates have been detained for recording ICE activities in public spaces.
Coordinated with State Police to Target Based on Race and Language
In Tennessee, ICE partnered with state troopers to conduct racially targeted traffic stops. The Nashville Banner investigation documented stops based on drivers’ appearance, with language and accents used to justify enforcement decisions after the fact.
Inflicted Serious Injuries With Excessive Force
In Minnesota, an immigrant suffered a skull fracture during an ICE arrest and required hospitalization. This incident reflects a broader pattern of force used during ICE operations. Reports from across the country document injuries sustained during immigration arrests, including cases where individuals have been slammed to the ground, restrained with excessive force, or injured during vehicle pursuits.
Conducted Arrests at Churches and Houses of Worship
ICE has conducted enforcement operations in church parking lots and near houses of worship, violating the agency’s own policies that designate religious institutions as sensitive locations where enforcement should be avoided. Reports document ICE arrests at churches across five states These operations have broken longstanding norms that treated houses of worship as off-limits for immigration enforcement.