Violent ICE Raids to Continue

By Nisie

On January 31, 2026, a federal judge denied a state government request to block the Trump administration's deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his office was "disappointed" by the ruling, but is "fighting on… history is on our side, and Minnesotans are meeting its call," he said. "I will keep matching your bravery."

About 3,000 federal agents have been sent to Minneapolis under Trump’s orders since the start of “Operation Metro Surge” in December 2025.

Danger for Undocumented Immigrants

Since then, undocumented families have been terrorized with racial profiling, excessive use of force, and other harmful actions. On January 20, 2026, Liam Conejo Ramos(5) and his father were in their driveway in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, after returning from preschool, when ICE agents approached them as part of a targeted operation. The incident in Minnesota has sparked outrage and debates on whether little Liam was used as "bait" by ICE agents to arrest his father, Adrian Conejo Arias. Local school officials and the boy's mother claim to have witnessed the horrifying event unfold. Since then, the  Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has flatly denied the claims. After being held in a DHS detention center for almost three weeks, Liam and his father were released from the detention facility in Dilley, Texas. This came after the U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered the release of Liam and his father from the detention facility. In his ruling, the judge condemned the detention as being driven by an "ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children".

Poor Conditions of Detention Centers

On September 23, 2025, ICE announced that Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a 39-year-old citizen of Mexico held in ICE custody, died at the Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville, California, on September 22.  Ayala-Uribe, was a former DACA recipient who had lived in the United States since the age of 4. His family reported that he "complained of a fever and had a persistent cough" in the weeks before he died. Before that on  August 6, 2025, another detainee died after reporting similar symptoms to an RN and testing positive for COVID. Tragically, Jesus Molina-Veya, a 45-year-old citizen of Mexico in ICE custody, died of aparent suicide. Then, Abelardo Avelleneda-Delgado, a 68-year-old citizen of Mexico, died during transport from Lowndes County Jail in Valdosta, Georgia, to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Those are not the only completely avoidable deaths during “Operation Metro Surge”.  A terrifying pattern is emerging from these ICE detention centers - death by detention due to poor conditions.

Is America signing the death warrants of undocumented immigrants by allowing ICE to continue their rampage?

References:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Detainee Death Report: NOVIELLO, Johnny

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Detainee Death Report: BATREZ Vargas, Lorenzo Antonio

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Detainee Death Report: AVELLENEDA-Delgado, Abelardo

(January 30, 2026). Judge Denies Minnesota’s Request to End ICE Surge in Minneapolis. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/31/judge-denies-minnesota-request-ice-surge