ACLU Sues Over Minnesota ICE Surge, Alleging Racial Profiling, Illegal Arrests and Civil‑Rights Violations

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota of systematic racial profiling and unlawful arrests that have disproportionately targeted Somali and Latino communities.

What the Lawsuit Alleges

The 72-page complaint, filed on Thursday on behalf of three U.S. citizens, names the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and multiple Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers as defendants. The ACLU describes what it calls a “startling pattern of abuse spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security … that is fundamentally altering civic life in the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota.”

“Masked federal agents in the thousands are violently stopping and arresting countless Minnesotans based on nothing more than their race and perceived ethnicity irrespective of their citizenship or immigration status,” the complaint states, adding that Somali and Latino people are being singled out for stops and arrests motivated by prejudice.

Reported Incidents

The complaint details multiple incidents in which U.S. citizens were detained, shackled, fingerprinted and, in one case, pepper-sprayed despite asserting their citizenship.

One plaintiff, 20-year-old Mubashir Khalif Hussen, says he was detained last December while walking to lunch in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Hussen alleges he repeatedly told agents “I’m a citizen,” but that officers refused to check his ID, placed him in a headlock, transported him to the Whipple federal building in south Minneapolis, shackled and fingerprinted him, and denied him medical assistance and water before releasing him.

The complaint also says that, after his release, Hussen filmed ICE officers and protesters from a public sidewalk; a federal agent in a passing vehicle allegedly rolled down a window and pepper‑sprayed him in the face.

Another plaintiff, 25-year-old Mahamed Eydarus, alleges that masked plain‑clothes agents surrounded him and his mother while he shoveled snow. The agents did not identify themselves or show a warrant but demanded identification, questioned the mother, instructed her to remove her niqab, separated her from her son and complained about their use of Somali, according to the filing. The agents reportedly left without asking about community ties or explaining their actions.

Responses And Broader Context

ACLU Minnesota attorney Catherine Ahlin‑Halverson called the practices illegal and “morally reprehensible,” saying the operations have sown fear across immigrant communities. Kate Huddleston of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project added that the government cannot detain people based on skin color or without probable cause.

The Trump administration has defended the enforcement actions as efforts targeting people living in the U.S. unlawfully—particularly those with criminal records—and said the operations are intended to address alleged widespread fraud. DHS has defended ICE’s use of force in specific incidents, saying agents acted lawfully and in self‑defense when confronted or threatened.

Critics, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and local officials, have described the deployment of thousands of federal agents as an unconstitutional and harmful “federal invasion” and a “campaign of retribution” that has terrorized communities and violated residents’ rights. The operations have come under intense scrutiny after the shooting death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother killed by a federal agent, which sparked widespread protests in Minnesota and beyond.

The complaint and subsequent reporting include detailed allegations from named plaintiffs; the Guardian has reached out to DHS for comment. Note: some earlier versions of this report misidentified specific public officials named in the suit; the complaint itself lists DHS and several CBP officers among the defendants.