FAQ for Reports of Immigration Raids in the Twin Cities
TWIN CITIES: This is info from Rep. Omar's office with the request to share quickly and widely
Disclaimer: This document is for general informational purposes only. This is not legal advice.
What is happening?
The New York Times reported that ICE is launching an immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities of up to 100 officers from multiple federal agencies, primarily focused on Somalis with “final orders of removal,” but others may be at risk. The operation is reported to begin this week, but it is unclear when it will officially begin or end.
Community members have reported that ICE officers are driving around the Twin Cities and racially profiling people to stop and question them. This is yet another example of the cruelty and chaos caused by the Trump administration.
Who is ICE targeting?
The report says that ICE is targeting Somali people who are undocumented or have final orders of removal. But across the country, large operations have frequently resulted in the arrests of many other people who were in the vicinity of the operation.
If you have valid legal status (a green card, TPS, student visa, asylum, etc.) and no criminal record, you are hopefully at reduced risk for enforcement action. However, it is possible that ICE may detain people with valid status (e.g. TPS) and start removal proceedings until Somali TPS ends in March 2026.
If you are a U.S. citizen, you cannot be legally arrested by ICE or deported, but ICE has illegally detained U.S. citizens in other parts of the country.
What is a “final order of removal” and how can I find out if I have one?
A “Final Order of Removal” is the last step in an immigration court before someone can be legally deported. Many people who went to immigration court years or even decades ago were given Final Orders of Removal, but they were not deported for any number of reasons, such as the impact on their family here in the U.S., or the government wasn’t able to deport them to their home country. For people with Final Orders of Removal, a deportation can happen extremely quickly – in just a few days without further court appearances.
If you are unsure whether you have a Final Order of Removal, you can find your immigration court records here: https://acis.eoir.justice.gov/
What should I do?
If you have valid legal status, you should carry records of that with you at all times (e.g. your green card, U.S. passport, foreign passport with visa, I-94, EAD/work permit, etc.)
If your legal status is in question, you should contact an immigration lawyer as soon as possible. You should know your legal rights so that you can assert them if it is necessary. A helpful guide can be found online here:
https://www.nilc.org/.../rights-card-Somali-4up-2017-02.pdf
An immigration attorney can provide individualized legal advice, which can help you and your family plan for all possibilities. A legal referral list can be found online here:
https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/.../Attorney...,
and you can also find a private attorney.
Congressional offices have limited ability to help. But if your loved one has been detained and is not showing up in the detainee locator system (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/),
Congressional offices can help locate them.
I’m a U.S. citizen. What can I do to help?
You can act as a legal observer if you see ICE or other federal agents questioning someone in public. You can enroll in a local rapid response network to get trained on legal observation, report ICE activity, or respond to requests for legal observers.
If you are joining your neighbors to observe ICE activity, please remain peaceful and orderly. In other cities, Trump has used the optics of chaotic protests to send the National Guard to communities for extended periods of time. We should not give them a justification to further militarize our community.
You can speak out about the cruelty of the Trump administration and document the harm they are causing in our community.
You can donate to immigrant legal organizations, who need resources to help defend immigrants.
