Twenty-year-old Jose Roberto Ramirez, a U.S. citizen from Minneapolis, says ICE agents followed, stopped and violently detained him in Robbinsdale days after a nearby fatal shooting during a federal operation. Ramirez and his aunt recorded the exchange, which they say included facial scans, force that knocked away his phone and tight handcuffs. He was processed at the Whipple Federal Building and released after about six hours on pending charges. The incident adds to tensions over a large ICE deployment in Minnesota and questions about targeting, use of force and biometric identification.
20-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Alleges Violent ICE Stop Near Minneapolis Days After Fatal Raid
A portrait of Renee Nicole Good is pasted to a light pole near the site of her shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. / Stephen Maturen / Getty Images
Just after 11 a.m. on Thursday in Robbinsdale, a suburb of Minneapolis, 20-year-old Jose Roberto Ramirez says what began as a routine drive became a frightening encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
What Ramirez Says Happened
Ramirez, a U.S. citizen born in Minneapolis and of mixed Mexican and Red Lake Band of Chippewa heritage, told reporters that an ICE vehicle began following his car. He says the pursuit culminated in a sudden stop in a Hy-Vee parking lot where agents in tactical gear pointed weapons, ordered him out and forcibly removed him from a vehicle while an aunt recorded the encounter on Facebook Live.
According to Ramirez and his aunt, the agents used a cellphone to scan his face, knocked his phone from his hand and struck him during the arrest. Ramirez claims the agents shoved him against a Tesla charging station, handcuffed him tightly, and transported him to the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis for processing.
Processing, Detention And Release
At the federal facility, Ramirez says his face was scanned multiple times without a match. He was shackled, fingerprinted and photographed, and placed briefly in an overcrowded holding area with other detainees. After roughly six hours, officials returned his belongings and released him on pending charges; ICE did not respond to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
Context And Allegations Of Targeting
Ramirez’s encounter occurred about 10 miles from where 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good — an unarmed U.S. citizen — was fatally shot the day before during an immigration-related operation. In the wake of that shooting, some public officials criticized Good and described the episode in strongly negative terms.
Ramirez also placed his arrest in the larger context of a substantial ICE presence in Minnesota. The Trump administration had deployed roughly 2,000 ICE agents to the state amid controversy over welfare fraud investigations and comments about Somali communities. Ramirez says he overheard agents say they were focusing on Hispanics rather than Somali residents, and he believes that mindset influenced who was detained that day.
Family Reaction: Ramirez’s aunt, Shawntia Sosa-Clara, repeatedly asserted on video that they are U.S. citizens and Native, and described the agents’ behavior as inhumane and frightening. Family members were waiting outside the facility and hugged Ramirez after his release.
Unanswered Questions
Local police officials said body or squad camera footage may show Ramirez striking an ICE agent, a claim Ramirez and his aunt deny, contending that the agents were the only ones who used force. The publicly available Facebook video is inconclusive about who struck first. At the time of reporting, charges remained pending and ICE had not provided a public statement.
This account raises broader questions about the use of facial recognition in immigration enforcement, the conduct of tactical stops, and how large-scale ICE operations affect communities — especially when they follow high-profile, violent incidents nearby.
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Google/Getty
Facebook screenshots from a video showing the interaction between Border Patrol agents and Jose Roberto Ramirez, age 20, and his aunt Shawntia Sosa-Clara. / Facebook
A Google Maps street view Hy-Vee in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. / Screenshot via Google Maps
An onlooker holds a sign that reads
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed an American woman on the streets of Minneapolis on Jan. 7. / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
Protesters gather in Minneapolis after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minnesota. / Anadolu / Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images
A Dec. 31 post from President Donald Trump calling Somali immigrants
Community members stand shoulder to shoulder during a candlelight vigil at the Minnesota State Capitol. / Annalise Kaylor/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Help us improve.
