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Tag: United States Department of Homeland Security

  • Experts analyze new video of fatal ICE agent shooting in Minneapolis

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    Cellphone video taken by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent involved in Wednesday’s fatal shooting in Minneapolis of Renee Good shows a different view of the incident and the moments leading up to it.

    To better analyze what’s happening in the video, WCCO spoke with a use-of-force expert and a defense attorney.

    Peter Johnson is the founder of Archway Defense, a company that has trained state, local and federal law enforcement in firearms for the past decade. He’s also a former federal air marshal. Johnson said his biggest takeaway from the video was a crunching sound he heard immediately before the gunshots, which he believes is the sound of the SUV hitting the ICE agent.

    “That data point for me shows that there was contact made with the agent, who is now in reasonable fear, who could clearly articulate being hit with an SUV as reasonable fear of great bodily harm or death. And then the shots were fired,” said Johnson.

    According to Homeland Security’s policy, deadly force cannot be used to stop someone who is fleeing, though it is authorized when an officer believes that someone who’s trying to escape poses a serious threat to the officer or others. The two narrow circumstances outlined in the policy are:

    1. When a person in the vehicle is using or imminently threatening deadly force by means other than the vehicle.
    2. When the vehicle itself is being operated in a manner that poses an imminent threat and no other objectively reasonable defensive option exists — explicitly including “moving out of the path of the vehicle.” 

    Another point that stood out to Johnson is the face-to-face interaction the ICE agent has with Good, 37, as he walks by her window. Johnson said it proves that Good was aware of the agent’s presence, whereas other videos could make it seem as if the agent suddenly appeared from out of view.

    Other videos show the angle of the tires on Good’s SUV when she accelerates forward, with some arguing the tires are in a direction indicating she was trying to drive away from the ICE agents. To those dissecting the videos, Johnson referenced a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Graham vs. Connor. He summarized it by saying, “In a tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving situation, law enforcement officers are not to be judged in hindsight 20/20, but a reasonable officer’s perception.”

    Rob Doar is a local defense attorney. He said the video both helps and hurts Homeland Security’s stance that the ICE agent fired in self-defense. As for helping, Doar said it shows how quickly things unfolded leading up to the shooting. 

    “I myself have questioned the second and third shots,” said Doar. “I think from that firsthand perspective, it makes it look like he may not have had the mental time to actually appreciate that the threat had passed.”

    He too pointed out the angle of the tires, stating that the video shows there’s no way the ICE agent could have seen the direction they were pointing. 

    “Though he may have seen some direction of the steering wheel, but it’s, again, it’s not clear whether he would have appreciated that,” said Doar.

    As for hurting the agent’s case, Doar said it shows Good had a pleasant demeanor while also saying to the agents that she wasn’t mad at them. 

    “That lessens the indication that he is posing a serious threat to law enforcement,” said Doar.

    He questioned the positioning the ICE agent took in front of the SUV, saying courts could analyze whether that was a reasonable spot to place himself.

    Lastly, Doar noted the expletives it appears the ICE agent said toward Good after the shooting. It sounds like the agent said, “F****** b****.”

    Pertaining to the vulgar comment, Doar said, “Self-defense is an affirmative defense where you’re saying that you’re fearful for your life. Courts could interpret that, or a jury could interpret as a mindset of trying to compel control or dominance over the situation rather than a sincere fear for his life.”

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    Jeff Wagner

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  • Avelo Airlines to halt deportation flights for ICE

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    Avelo Airlines said that it will no longer carry out migrant deportation flights for the Department of Homeland Security, ending a contract that supported the U.S. government’s immigration enforcement efforts. 

    The Houston-based carrier, founded in 2021, said its deal to handle Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation flights did not sufficiently boost the airline’s financial position. As a result, the low-cost carrier is shutting down its hub at Mesa Gateway Airport in Phoenix, where its migrant flight operation was based, the company said in a statement to CBS News.

    “Avelo will close the base at [Mesa Gateway Airport] on January 27 and will conclude participation in the DHS charter program,” an Avelo spokesperson said. “The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs.”

    Avelo operates low-cost flights to dozens of destinations, including the Caribbean, from four U.S. hubs. It is planning to open a fifth base in Dallas in late 2026. 

    DHS has long partnered with CSI Aviation, which subcontracted with Avelo to provide ICE with air charter services. The federal agency also subcontracts with other charter companies, including GlobalX, which handled more than half of DHS’ charter flights in 2025, according to ICE Flight Monitor at Human Rights First, a group that tracks ICE deportation flights.

    “ICE never contracted directly with Avelo Airlines,” DHS said in a statement to CBS News. “ICE will continue to utilize its contracted service provider, which works with multiple airlines to support the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens.”

    In April, Avelo founder and CEO Andrew Levy expressed confidence that the airline’s deportation business would help drive the carrier’s growth, while conceding that handling deportation flights was a “sensitive and complicated topic.”

    Mesa’s charter program has sparked public backlash and protests against its decision to work with ICE. 

    The Indivisible Project, a nonprofit group that led protests against Avelo Airlines, on Thursday applauded the carrier’s move to end its contract with DHS.

    “For months, communities across the country spoke out, organized, protested and demanded that Avelo Airlines end its deportation flights. After months of plummeting sales and canceled commercial flights, Avelo was forced to walk away from contracts that harmed immigrant families and destabilized workers — and it’s sales,” Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin, said in a statement.

    Edited by

    Alain Sherter

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  • Deadly Minneapolis ICE shooting echoes Franklin Park, Marimar Martinez shootings during Operation Midway Blitz

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    The fatal shooting of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday recalls shootings by federal immigration agents in Chicago during the height of Operation Midway Blitz in the fall.

    Minneapolis police said federal agents and local protesters clashed starting around 9:30 a.m. near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue. Witnesses told CBS News Minnesota they saw a Honda Pilot blocked by multiple federal agents, and an agent trying to open the driver’s side door, where a woman was seated in the driver’s seat.

    The woman put her car into reverse, then into drive, and then three shots were fired, witnesses said. When the woman was pulled from the Pilot, paramedics could be seen giving her CPR. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the woman died, and claimed the agent fired out of “fear for his life” as she allegedly tried to ram him, and that it was an incident of “domestic terrorism.”

    The woman was identified as 37-year-old Renee Good. City leaders said she was a legal observer of federal immigration agents as they conduct operations in the Twin Cities, and that she wasn’t the target of an immigration arrest.

    The incident may sound familiar to people in the Chicago area, as it recalls two shootings last fall at the height of Operation Midway Blitz. 

    ICE agent shoots, kills undocumented immigrant in Franklin Park

    On Sept. 12, 2025, an ICE agent shot and killed an undocumented immigrant from Mexico in Franklin Park, Illinois.

    DHS claimed at the time that 38-year-old Silvero Villegas-Gonzalez, a father of two, had tried to use his car to drive into agents when they tried to detain him. DHS officials also claimed the ICE agent who opened fire had been dragged by the car and suffered “severe injuries.”

    But surveillance video from two local businesses showed Villegas-Gonzalez backing up and driving away while an agent was on either side of his car; the agent on the passenger side continues standing there, but the agent at the driver’s side can’t be seen.

    And in body cam video released two weeks later, the agent is heard describing his own injuries as “nothing major” after the shooting.

    “I got dragged a little bit,” the agent says in the video.

    DHS claimed that Villegas-Gonzalez was being targeted by ICE agents because of a criminal history that included reckless driving, but CBS News Chicago investigators found that he only had a record of four traffic violations between 2010 and 2019 for offenses that included speeding, an expired driver’s license, not having insurance and not having a child restraint seat.

    Attorney Manuel Carednas, who represented Villegas-Gonzalez in two of those cases, said his client, while undocumented, was respectful, hardworking and compliant with all court instructions regarding his traffic violations.

    “If he had to go to court he would go to court. If he had to pay a fine or he had to do anything the court required, he was very compliant,” Cardenas said.

    Woman shot by federal agents, accused of “ramming” officers

    On Oct. 5, 2025, federal agents shot a woman in the city’s Brighton Park neighborhood after DHS officials said they had been “boxed in” by protesters opposing immigration enforcement operations in the neighborhood.

    DHS claimed U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents were “boxed in by 10 cars,” and that one driver had a gun, which they claimed was a semi-automatic weapon. As a result, DHS said, agents opened fire, striking the driver. The agents fired five shots while the driver was still inside her car.

    The driver was later identified as 31-year-old Marimar Martinez. She was not seriously injured and was able to drive away from the scene. Paramedics found her and her car at a repair shop about a mile away, at which time they were able to take her to a hospital where she was treated and released.

    Less than a week later, a federal grand jury indicted Martinez and her passenger, 21-year-old Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, for assault and attempted murder of a federal employee in the incident. They claimed she had rammed the agent’s SUV before he opened fire.

    While DHS claimed Martinez had a semi-automatic weapon, she did not face any gun charges.

    Martinez pleaded not guilty, and it came out in court that the Border Patrol agent who shot Martinez had been allowed to drive that SUV back to Maine, more than 1,000 miles away, despite being central evidence in the trial. Martinez’s attorney sought a hearing to determine whether federal authorities improperly destroyed evidence in the cranial case against her by allowing the SUV to be taken back to Maine.

    Then, near the end of November, federal prosecutors dropped all charges against Martinez and Ruiz. The charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning prosecutors cannot refile them in the future.

    “These agents were lying about what happened. Ms. Martinez never rammed anybody. These agents hit Ms. Martinez. These agents jumped out and shot Ms. Martinez, a U.S. citizen, whose only crime was warning her fellow community members that ICE was in the neighborhood,” said attorney Christopher Parente, who represented Martinez. “That is not a crime. She didn’t deserve to be shot.”

    Parente said there is another investigation with a separate U.S. Attorney’s office to hold the agent who shot his client responsible for the incident, but no further developments in that case have been shared. 

    Illinois politicians condemn Minneapolis ICE shooting

    Politicians in Illinois moved swiftly to condemn the Minneapolis shooting.

    “This is Donald Trump’s America: a woman is dead because ICE is operating with impunity in our neighborhoods,” wrote U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8th) in a statement. “This horrific loss of life is devastating and never should have happened. My heart is with her family and loved ones, who are now grieving a senseless tragedy. I will be demanding full answers and accountability from the Trump administration. When federal agents are unleashed without restraint or oversight, the consequences are deadly—and the responsibility for this killing is on their hands.”  

    “Today’s tragic shooting once again proves that ICE is not in our cities to protect people or for public safety. They are separating families, not only by distance and countries—but by death. My sincere condolences are with the family and loved ones of the woman who died,” wrote U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL 2nd). ”  As details come forward about the shooting, I urge the truth to come to light. The city of Chicago knows all too well that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem only lies. After the deadly shooting of Silverio Villegas González during a traffic stop, Secretary Noem tried to hide the truth, but bodycam footage disproved injuries sustained by the ICE officer. The Minneapolis Mayor has already said that video disputes Secretary Noem’s claims. It’s clear that to achieve public safety, ICE must leave our cities immediately.”

    “The brutal, unnecessary shooting death of a woman in Minneapolis today by an ICE officer is a shocking and devastating tragedy and a stain on our entire nation,” wrote U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL 2nd). “The agents carrying out these ICE raids are federal officers with a sacred duty to uphold the law and protect our communities, not terrorize them. Those officers responsible for today’s horrific shooting must face a thorough investigation and be held to full account for their actions. Sending strength to the Minneapolis community. Chicagoland knows all too well the trauma and terror Trump’s chaotic immigration operations bring to otherwise peaceful communities. Our President should be making America and Americans safer. He is failing.”

    Mayor Brandon Johnson, in a social media post, spoke on the shooting in Minneapolis and how it is similar to incidents in Chicago, and the city stands in solidarity with Minneapolis.

    “The video that many of us have seen of I.C.E. officers fatally shooting a woman at point-blank range is deeply disturbing and, unfortunately, all too similar to incidents that have transpired here in Chicago. No community deserves to be subjected to the terror that’s stemming from this president’s use of I.C.E. as his personal militarized force,” he said.

    WCCO Staff

    contributed to this report.

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    Sara Tenenbaum

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  • Judge voids decision to end legal status of 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua

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    A federal judge in California on Wednesday voided the Trump administration’s move to terminate the Temporary Protected Status of roughly 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua, calling it a “pre-ordained decision.”

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of the TPS programs for Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua in June and July, saying the three countries had recovered from the environmental disasters that prompted the U.S. government to grant their nationals temporary legal refuge.

    Created by Congress in 1990, the TPS policy allows the U.S. government to give certain foreigners deportation protections and work permits, temporarily, if their native countries are facing armed conflict, an environmental disaster or another emergency that makes their return unsafe. 

    In late July, U.S. District Court Judge Trina Thompson delayed the termination of the TPS programs for Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua, issuing a preliminary finding that the Trump administration failed to consider lingering problems in three nations and that the decision to terminate the policies was motivated by racial animus, or racial hostility. That ruling was paused in August by an appeals court, allowing the Trump administration to end the programs. 

    But Thompson issued a summary judgment on Wednesday, finding that the effort to revoke the legal status of tens of thousands of Hondurans, Nepalis and Nicaraguans was unlawful. She said Noem’s move “was preordained and pretextual rather than based on an objective review of the country conditions as required by the TPS statute and the (Administrative Procedures Act).”

    “The record specifically reflects that, before taking office, the Secretary made a pre-ordained decision to end TPS and influenced the conditions review process to facilitate TPS terminations for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal,” Thompson wrote in her order.

    The TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua were first created in the late 1990s, after the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch, which killed thousands in Central America. Many of those previously enrolled in those programs arrived in the U.S. more than two decades ago. The TPS policy for Nepal was established in 2015, following a deadly earthquake in the small Asian nation.

    The Trump administration has mounted an aggressive effort to dismantle most TPS programs, arguing the policy attracts illegal immigration and that it has been abused by Democratic administrations and extended for far too long. It has also moved to terminate TPS protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela.

    In a statement, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the judge’s ruling “another lawless and activist order from the federal judiciary who continues to usurp the President’s constitutional authority.”

    “Under the previous administration Temporary Protected Status was abused to allow violent terrorists, criminals, and national security threats into our nation,” McLaughlin said. “TPS was never designed to be permanent, yet previous administrations have used it as a de facto amnesty program for decades. Given the improved situation in each of these countries, now is the right time to conclude what was always intended to be a temporary designation.”

    Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, said Wednesday’s ruling should allow TPS holders from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal to work in the U.S. legally and prevent federal immigration officials from detaining and deporting them.

    “The court’s decision today restores TPS protections for thousands of long-term law-abiding TPS-holding residents from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua,” Arulanantham said.

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  • How a viral video prompted investigations into alleged fraud at day care centers in Minnesota

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    As Homeland Security agents were in Minnesota conducting what DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called a “massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud” on Monday, many of their targets came not from tips from the FBI, but from a video posted on social media over the weekend.

    The video, posted by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley, alleged nearly a dozen day care centers in Minnesota that are receiving public funds are not actually providing any service. As of Monday, the video had been viewed more than 1 million times, according to YouTube’s metrics, and was seen by tens of millions more on X.

    “While we have questions about some of the methods used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously,” said Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families commissioner Tikki Brown.

    In addition to the DHS investigations, state officials also visited some of the sites on Monday. They told CBS News two of the centers featured in the video already shut down earlier this year, although one of those centers informed the state late Monday that it plans to remain open.

    CBS News conducted its own analysis of nearly a dozen day care centers mentioned by Shirley: all but two have active licenses, according to state records, and all active locations were visited by state regulators within the last six months. One, Sweet Angel Child Care, Inc., was subject to an unannounced inspection as recently as Dec. 4. 

    CBS News’ review also found dozens of citations related to safety, cleanliness, equipment, and staff training, among other violations, but there was no recorded evidence of fraud.

    CBS News visited and called several of the day care centers on Monday but received no responses.

    Monday’s DHS visits come amid what prosecutors allege is a $9 billion COVID-era fraud scandal in Minnesota. Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials have disputed that figure and defended their handling of the crisis.

    There are 14 specific Medicaid-funded programs in Minnesota currently under federal investigation, although child care isn’t one of them.  

    Earlier this month, CBS News detailed how a group of convicted fraudsters allegedly spent some of the millions of taxpayer dollars stolen by people associated with a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, which was meant to help feed vulnerable children during the pandemic.

    Investigators say fraudulent payouts to the Feeding Our Future program alone were estimated at $250 million, making it the nation’s costliest COVID-era aid scam. 

    Walz, a Democrat, previously agreed with an estimate from First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson that fraud across all programs, including the Feeding Our Future scheme, which is not a DHS-administered program, could total $1 billion. 

    “The fraud is not small. It isn’t isolated. The magnitude cannot be overstated,” Thompson said last week.  

    So far, 78 people have been arrested in the Feeding Our Future scheme. A majority of them are Somali Americans, although the program’s leader, Aimee Bock, who was convicted earlier this year, is not. Minnesota has the nation’s largest Somali population.

    President Trump has called Minnesota a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and has lashed out against the state’s Somali community, announcing last month that he would end protected status against deportation for Somalis in the state. Earlier this month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities, leading to more than 400 arrests.

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  • DHS increases offer for undocumented migrants to $3,000 if they voluntarily leave by end of 2025

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    The Department of Homeland Security has tripled its “exit bonus” for undocumented migrants who voluntarily depart the United States through self-deportation, increasing the financial incentive from $1,000 to $3,000 for those who register with the U.S. government and depart the country by the end of the calendar year. 

    DHS says all qualified participants who leave by Dec. 31, 2025, will also receive free airfare to their home countries and be waived of certain civil fines or penalties tied to remaining illegally in the U.S., if they voluntarily self-deport using the rebranded CBP Home app. The smartphone app is modeled off the Biden administration’s CBP One platform. 

    Under the Trump administration’s policy, migrants are instructed to use the platform to signal their intent to depart. If determined to be eligible, DHS officials say they will receive travel assistance plus the $3,000 paid stipend once the U.S. government confirms the individual has left the country. 

    In a statement to CBS News, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says that those who do not take advantage of the temporary incentive will be “found,” “arrested” and “never return” to the U.S.

    The CBP One app was originally built under the previous administration to schedule asylum appointments, but under the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda, it has been remodeled under a voluntary departure framework to permit those without lawful status to track their exit.

    A monitor displays a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection app with “a self-deportation reporting feature for aliens illegally in the country,” as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a daily briefing at the White House on March 11, 2025.

    Andrew Harnik / Getty Images


    DHS says the bonus stipend is part of a holiday season campaign aimed at accelerating removals and reducing taxpayer costs, with travel support typically considered less expensive than traditional detention and deportation operations. As of May 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement estimated the average cost to arrest, detain and remove an undocumented migrant is approximately $17,000.

    As part of the self-deportation program, DHS says participants are deprioritized for ICE arrest and detention so long as they demonstrate “meaningful strides” toward leaving the U.S., though officials have not released detailed guidance explaining how long that protection lasts or how any compliance is judged.

    While ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrests nationwide are largely considered the most visible arm of the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, the president has simultaneously pushed to compel self-deportation of families and unaccompanied children who entered the country without permission.

    In October, the U.S. government announced plans to grant migrant teenagers a $2,500 stipend if they choose to return to their home countries voluntarily, CBS News previously reported.

    DHS says that since January 2025, 1.9 million undocumented immigrants have “voluntarily self-deported,” with “tens of thousands” doing so through the CBP Home program specifically. Those figures have not been independently verified by CBS News, and DHS has not publicly released a detailed breakdown showing how many individuals received government-funded travel or stipends versus those who departed on their own.

    According to internal government figures previously obtained by CBS News, over the first six months of President Trump’s second term, the administration deported nearly 150,000 people and recorded 13,000 who self-deported.

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  • Thousands March in “ICE Out” rally on Minneapolis’ Lake Street corridor

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    Thousands of people braved the bitter cold Saturday morning, marching more than a mile along Minneapolis’ Lake Street corridor in a massive, coordinated anti-immigration enforcement protest.

    The event — organized by COPAL, Unidos, and local union groups — comes as the Department of Homeland Security’s Operation Metro Surge prepares to enter its third week.

    DHS says its agents have arrested more than 400 people since the operation began three weeks ago. It’s unclear how many of those 400 are still detained or have been sent elsewhere.  

    The federal agency has also touted more than one dozen arrests of individuals with criminal convictions.

    Saturday’s protest and march, however, was a chance for community members to band together, organizers say.

    “We want to make sure that everybody across the world and across the country knows that the mass deportation agenda is not good for immigrants,” said Emilia González Avalos, executive director of UNIDOS. “It’s not good for communities. It’s not good for local economies.”

    She says Operation Metro Surge has had consequences on local business.

    WCCO


    “Businesses are struggling. Nobody wants to go out and shop. People are not buying basic things like toilet paper, eggs, milk, formula because they’re scared,” González Avalos said.

    Groups on hand pushed back on the idea that ICE is detaining “the worst of the worst.”

    “Most of the immigrants here are working very hard,” said Silvia Ibanez of the Immigrant Defense Network. “They are here because they are trying to find a better future for their family, and that’s not a crime.”

    Saturday’s march ended at Karmel Mall, which organizers said was symbolic of the way the city’s Latino and Somali communities have both been targets of the latest DHS enforcement.

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    Adam Duxter

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  • Moulton bill would allow ICE lawsuits

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    BOSTON — Immigrants would be allowed to sue federal authorities for “misconduct” under a proposal filed Monday by U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, which the Democrat named ostensibly after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

    The National Oversight and Enforcement of Misconduct Act, or NOEM Act, as filed Monday would update federal law to allow people “under federal immigration enforcement authority” to file lawsuits if they believe their “constitutional rights” have been violated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

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    kAmr9C:DE:2? |] (256 4@G6CD E96 |2DD249FD6EED $E2E69@FD6 7@C }@CE9 @7 q@DE@? |65:2 vC@FAUCDBF@jD ?6HDA2A6CD 2?5 H63D:E6D] t>2:= 9:> 2E k2 9C67lQ>2:=E@i4H256o4?9:?6HD]4@>Qm4H256o4?9:?6HD]4@>k^2m]k^Am

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Young mother deported from Minnesota to Honduras without her infant

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    After being deported from Minnesota last week, a young mother says she’s back in Honduras without her 8-month-old child. 

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjivar Aguilar, 22, lived in St. Cloud with her partner. They moved to South Dakota shortly before having a child in March.

    In a Zoom conversation translated from Spanish to English from her parents’ house in Honduras, Menjivar Aguilar told WCCO about the moment she was detained by federal agents at a September fingerprinting appointment for an approved work permit. 

    “‘Is this your baby?’ I said yes. And soon after they asked if I was breastfeeding. I said no,” said Menjivar Aguilar through a translator. “They arrested me in handcuffs behind my back.”  

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjivar Aguilar with her child

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjivar Aguilar


    Kelly Clark is Menjivar Aguilar’s immigration lawyer.

    “She signed something that they told her was, ‘If you are removed you can take your baby with you,’ and she signed that document, but at the end she was removed without her baby,” Clark said.

    Menjivar Aguilar explains her two-week journey to the U.S. when she was 17, crossing the Rio Grande with her younger brother, all to escape a gang who was trying to recruit them, and to be with their dad in the U.S. He’s since been deported, too.

    The assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released this statement: “On September 29, ICE arrested Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjivar Aguilar, an illegal alien from Honduras. She illegally entered the U.S. on April 13, 2021, near Eagle Pass, Texas, and was RELEASED into this country by the Biden administration. She received full due process and was ordered removed by an immigration judge on October 12, 2022. This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law.”

    b61215e5-abb3-435e-89fb-a5d8cf2b5648.jpg

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjivar Aguilar with her child.

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjivar Aguilar


    Her lawyer confirms she had the outstanding order of removal from 2022 after missing a court date, which Menjivar Aquilar says she didn’t know about as her father handled her documents and mail.

    “After that removal order happened, she was given deferred action, which is literally a ‘we’re not going to deport you,’” Clark said. “It is discretionary. It can be revoked, but it wasn’t revoked”

    “All I want is to be with my family, my baby and my partner,” Menjivar Aguilar said.

    When Menjivar Aguilar was detained in September, she was approved for a special immigrant juvenile visa. Her attorney is now working with the family to see if they can get her and her baby back together.

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    Frankie McLister

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  • Young mother deported from Minnesota to Honduras without her infant

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    After being deported from Minnesota last week, a young mother says she’s back in Honduras without her 8-month-old child. 

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjiver Aguilar, 22, lived in St. Cloud with her partner. They moved to South Dakota shortly before having a child in March.

    In a Zoom conversation translated from Spanish to English from her parents’ house in Honduras, Menjivar Aguilar told WCCO about the moment she was detained by federal agents at a September fingerprinting appointment for an approved work permit. 

    “‘Is this your baby?’ I said yes. And soon after they asked if I was breastfeeding. I said no,” said Menjivar Aguilar through a translator. “They arrested me in handcuffs behind my back.”  

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjiver Aguilar with her child

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjiver Aguilar


    Kelly Clark is Menjivar Aguilar’s immigration lawyer.

    “She signed something that they told her was, ‘If you are removed you can take your baby with you,’ and she signed that document, but at the end she was removed without her baby,” Clark said.

    Menjivar Aguilar explains her two-week journey to the U.S. when she was 17, crossing the Rio Grande with her younger brother, all to escape a gang who was trying to recruit them, and to be with their dad in the U.S. He’s since been deported, too.

    The assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released this statement: “On September 29, ICE arrested Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjivar Aguilar, an illegal alien from Honduras. She illegally entered the U.S. on April 13, 2021, near Eagle Pass, Texas, and was RELEASED into this country by the Biden administration. She received full due process and was ordered removed by an immigration judge on October 12, 2022. This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law.”

    b61215e5-abb3-435e-89fb-a5d8cf2b5648.jpg

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjiver Aguilar with her child.

    Kimberlyn Yaritza Menjiver Aguilar


    Her lawyer confirms she had the outstanding order of removal from 2022 after missing a court date, which Menjivar Aquilar says she didn’t know about as her father handled her documents and mail.

    “After that removal order happened, she was given deferred action, which is literally a ‘we’re not going to deport you,’” Clark said. “It is discretionary. It can be revoked, but it wasn’t revoked”

    “All I want is to be with my family, my baby and my partner,” Menjivar Aguilar said.

    When Menjivar Aguilar was detained in September, she was approved for a special immigrant juvenile visa. Her attorney is now working with the family to see if they can get her and her baby back together.

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  • Kristi Noem delivers bonus checks to some MSP Airport TSA employees in move union calls

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    U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem returned to the Twin Cities on Sunday for the second time in a month.

    Noem stopped at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to deliver bonus checks to select TSA officers.

    “We have just endured the longest government shutdown in American history. It was 43 days where our federal government was shut down,” Noem said.

    In an effort to thank those who continued to work without pay during the shutdown, Noem hand delivered $10,000 bonus checks to 48 TSA employees who work at MSP Airport.

    “Ten-thousand dollars is going to help out a lot,” said TSA officer Jonathan Pringle.

    Alex Garcia has worked for TSA at the airport for 14 years.

    “One of the reasons I continue with the sacrifice is to ensure the safety of the traveling public,” Garcia said. “Ever since my service in the Marine Corp., I was called to something bigger than me.”

    Employee Steven Grubb said he struggled to afford basic needs during the shutdown.

    “The bane of my existence coming here everyday, driving here 45 minutes, was the distance to ’empty’ on my vehicle, and so I’m very grateful to everyone and I’m very grateful for this bonus,” Grubb said.

    Local 899 Airport Screeners Union argues these bonuses are illegal and only rewarded 7% of the MSP workforce. In a statement, union treasurer Neal Gosman said in part: “Nearly every TSO showed up consistently to maintain the security of the travelling public during the shutdown. The process of making these awards completely bypassed local management involvement and participation with the union.”

    WCCO asked Noem why some staff were excluded from the bonus, and she said they went to staff nominated for the reward.

    “Those nominations happen at the local level, where they serve and the individuals that they work with, also their leadership team,” Noem said. “It’s been applied equally across the department.”

    The union says they are donating more than $2,000 across local food shelves in Midwest states where they serve, including Minnesota. They said this donation is to thank TSO employees who worked during the shutdown.

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    Marielle Mohs

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  • Protesters denounce private aviation services alleged to be used in ICE deportations

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    On Saturday, protesters took the streets outside of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Their concern was regarding deportation flights administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

    The group was organized by local nonprofit 50501.

    “We’re here to protest Signature Aviation as their aiding ICE deportation flights,” said one of the protesters while chanting.

    Roughly 40 protesters were on-site and marched between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1 on 70th Street. 

    70th Street is also where Signature Aviation, who provides private services across the world, can be found. WCCO has not been able to confirm if Signature Aviation is involved with deportation flights.

    Community members said they’re attending the protest to support immigrant neighbors.

    “They have as many violations as somebody who didn’t renew their car registration. To see someone getting treated so inhumane sickens me,” said Kristin of Saint Paul.

    Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed during her October visit to the Twin Cities that “our local authorities have boots-on-the-ground.”

    “Just since January, they have removed 4,300 individuals off of our streets,” said Noem during her October visit.

    “They’re using the private terminal here at Signature and straight-up using flights from Denver Air Connection,” said Drew Harmon, the Chair for Minnesota 5051.

    Key Lime Air, who’s the parent company of Denver Air Connection said:

    Key Lime Air respects the right of all individuals to peacefully protest and share their opinions. As a matter of policy, we are unable to discuss our charter operations. Our focus remains on conducting ALL Key Lime Air flights in accordance with the highest federally mandated safety standards

    The Minneapolis Republican Party told WCCO in a statement:

    Without evidence of the brutality spoken of, if federal immigration law is being enforced, that is what is important. We fully welcome immigrants who follow our legal process.

    “It’s good to be a part of a crowd who feel that same ‘shock-to-your-core passion’ like we need to go out and do something.” Kristin added.

    WCCO reached out to Signature Aviation and ICE for confirmation and comment but haven’t heard back. The Metropolitan Airports Commission says they don’t coordinate or get notice of general aviation or non-commercial flights at MSP. This includes government owned or operated aircraft.

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    Frankie McLister

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  • Family member of 2 arrested by ICE in St. Paul expresses concern for their well-being

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    On Tuesday, around 9 a.m., Erik Godinez missed a call from his mother. When he called back, her words made his heart sink.

    “She answered and said that ICE had raided Bro-Tex and that they are going to be taking my uncle and my cousin,” Godinez said. 

    He raced to Bro-Tex, Inc., the paper distribution company in St. Paul, Minnesota. By that time, a crowd had formed, with community activists and neighbors answering calls on social media to respond to what the U.S. Department of Homeland Security later said was an operation that resulted in 14 people being arrested on “immigration operations.” 

    The federal agency has declined to provide any additional information, including what charges the 14 people face.   

    As protesters and federal officers clashed, Godinez tried to work out what happened to his family members. 

    It wasn’t until Wednesday afternoon that he learned that they were both being held at the Sherburne County Jail, which is being used as an ICE detention facility due to an existing agreement between the sheriff’s office and the federal agency. Godinez said he’s barely slept or eaten for about two days.

    “What could I have really done? And I just keep playing that image back in my head,” Godinez said, wondering aloud if he could have done more to protect his family. 

    Federal officials took more than 48 hours to provide any details on the operation, where employees were detained and officers pepper-sprayed protesters outside.

    Godinez said that he is concerned for his uncle, Camilo, and his cousin, Jaime. While he said both are undocumented, he noted they were working towards legal citizenship. For Camilo, it’s a story of heartbreak. He had been dreaming of marrying his girlfriend, an American in St. Paul.

    “He was a selfless person. He would put the family before himself. He was very, very big on that,” Godinez said. “He left behind someone, a person deeply in love with him and the person that he is. She is completely distraught about that.” 

    Godinez said both his cousin and uncle are making the choice to self-deport, a process that makes him afraid for their safety. He said Camilo has not been back to Mexico in more than 15 years, and cartels are known to prey on those in vulnerable situations crossing the southern border.

    According to two GoFundMe posts, at least two of the 14 people detained are looking to legally fight to remain in the country. 

    Karla Alarcon Hernandez wrote in support of her father, Carlos Alberto Alcaron Avila’s GoFundMe page, which has raised $38,174 by Friday evening. She stated that they need help after unexpectedly losing their main provider. 

    “Our lives changed in one moment. My dad has lived in the Saint Paul area for many years, working long hours and doing everything he can to care for us. He has no criminal record, no history of harm, nothing but a life of hard work and love for his family,” Hernandez said. 

    Their goal is for Avila to come home. That’s also the goal for Alejandra Villagrana, who spoke to WCCO about losing her father, Leonel Villagrana Flores, and uncle, Isaias Villagrana Flores, in Tuesday’s operation.

    “It hurts that this is happening right now and they’re being treated this way when all they’ve done is work hard for their families here and in Mexico,” Villagrana said. “It’s inhumane and I don’t think this is right.”

    A Bro-Tex spokesperson on Thursday declined to answer questions about the operation or any potential charges business owners face for allegedly employing undocumented workers. On Friday, the business was still in operation with multiple employees going in and out of the facility.

    As of Friday night, the federal warrants filed on Tuesday remain sealed. 

    Ashley Grams

    contributed to this report.

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    Conor Wight

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  • Feds bringing North Carolina immigration enforcement actions to Raleigh, mayor says, as they stay in Charlotte as well

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    Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as Tuesday, the mayor of the state’s capital city said, while Customs and Border Protection agents continue operating in Charlotte following a weekend that saw arrests of more than 130 people in that city, the state’s largest.

    Mayor Janet Cowell said Monday that she didn’t know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present.

    Immigration authorities haven’t spoken about it. CBS News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

    Cowell, a Democrat, said in a statement that crime was lower in Raleigh this year compared to last and that public safety was a priority for her and the city council.

    “I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges,” she said.

    Democratic North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in a statement on social media Monday night that his office “is aware of reports that the Border Patrol is bringing its operation to Raleigh. Once again, I call on federal agents to target violent criminals, not neighbors walking down the street, going to church, or putting up Christmas decorations. Stop targeting people simply going about their lives because of the color of their skin, as you are doing in Charlotte.

    “To the people of Raleigh: remain peaceful, and if you see something wrong, record it and report it to local law enforcement. Let’s keep each other safe.”

    The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime – despite local opposition and declining crime rates. Residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.

    U.S. Border Patrol agents in Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 17, 2025.

    Matt Kelley / AP


    Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had arrested “over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken” immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it didn’t spell out how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.

    Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reported Monday that, “Unofficial attendance data from today indicates that approximately 20,935 students were absent from school today. This accounts for approximately 15% of students enrolled” in that district. There was no word on the percentage of students who are absent on a typical day there. 

    The immigration crackdown set off fierce objections from leaders in the Charlotte area.

    “We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color,” Stein said in a video statement late Sunday. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”

    Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday she was “deeply concerned” about videos she’s seen of the crackdown but also said she appreciates protesters’ peacefulness.

    “To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you,” she said in a statement.

    Charlotte area’s place in immigration issue

    Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County have both found themselves part of America’s debates over crime and immigration, two of the most important issues to the White House.

    The most prominent was the fatal stabbing this summer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train, an attack captured on video. While the suspect was from the U.S., the Trump administration repeatedly highlighted that he’d been arrested more than a dozen times.

    Charlotte, which had a Republican mayor as recently as 2009, is now a city dominated by Democrats, with a growing population brought by a booming economy. The racially diverse city includes more than 150,000 foreign-born residents, officials say.

    Lyles easily won a fifth term as mayor earlier this month, defeating her Republican rival by 45 percentage points even as GOP critics blasted city and state leaders for what they call rising incidents of crime. Following the Nov. 4 election, Democrats are poised to hold 10 of the other 11 seats on the city council.

    While the DHS has said it’s focusing on the state because of sanctuary policies, North Carolina county jails have long honored “detainers,” or requests from federal officials to hold an arrested immigrant for a limited time so agents can take custody of them. Nevertheless, some common, noncooperation policies have existed in a handful of places, including Charlotte, where the police don’t help with immigration enforcement.

    In Mecklenburg County, the jail didn’t honor detainer requests for several years, until after state law effectively made it mandatory starting last year.

    DHS said about 1,400 detainers across North Carolina had not been honored since October 2020, putting the public at risk.

    For years, Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden pushed back against efforts by the Republican-controlled state legislature to force him and a handful of sheriffs from other urban counties to accept ICE detainers.

    Republicans ultimately overrode a veto by then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper late last year to enact the bill into law.

    While McFadden has said his office is complying with the law’s requirement, he continued a public feud with ICE leaders in early 2025 that led to a new state law toughening those rules. Stein vetoed that measure, but the veto was overridden.

    Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said in a Monday post on X that immigration agents are in Charlotte because of McFadden’s past inaction: “They’re stepping in to clean up his mess and restore safety to the city.”

    Last month, McFadden said he’d had a productive meeting with an ICE representative.

    “I made it clear that I do not want to stop ICE from doing their job, but I do want them to do it safely, responsibly, and with proper coordination by notifying our agency ahead of time,” McFadden said in a statement.

    But such talk doesn’t calm the political waters.

    “Democrats at all levels are choosing to protect criminal illegals over North Carolina citizens,” state GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said Monday.

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  • Federal immigration agents launch crackdown in Charlotte, DHS announces

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    Federal immigration agents on Saturday began operations in Charlotte, North Carolina, the latest target of President Trump’s widening crackdown on illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security announced.

    DHS said it officially launched an operation dubbed “Charlotte’s Web” to target immigrants living in the Charlotte area illegally. CBS News first reported last week that the Trump administration was preparing to deploy teams of Border Patrol agents to Charlotte, including outspoken Commander Gregory Bovino, who had led a weekslong, controversial crackdown in the Chicago area. 

    “We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens.”

    Videos posted on social media on Saturday appeared to depict green-uniformed Border Patrol agents carrying out arrests in the Charlotte region.

    Scores of Border Patrol agents are expected to participate in the Charlotte operation, which could involve armored vehicles and special operations teams, according to internal government documents obtained by CBS News.

    The Trump administration’s effort has already garnered strong criticism from Democratic officials in North Carolina, including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who said in a statement alongside other local leaders that the operation was “causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty.”

    After the operation in Charlotte, Border Patrol’s focus is expected to shift to New Orleans, where officials are planning to send as many as 200 agents to launch an operation dubbed the “Catahoula Crunch,” CBS News reported Friday.

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  • Video of ICE detaining a Northfield, Minnesota man causes trauma for community

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    Video shows traumatic moments for a teenager in Northfield, MN as ICE agents detain his father Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses claim that ICE provided no explanation during as they restrained the 41-year-old man from Mexico, and at time of publishing, ICE was not able to tell WCCO why this man is now separated from his family. 

    While WCCO has not been able to independently verify what happened before, the video shot by the man’s son begins with several masked ICE agents apparently trying to grab the man in the passenger seat of a car stopped on Washington Street in Northfield. It’s a quiet residential neighborhood left shaken by the incident, with witnesses saying an ICE agent shattered the car window while others drew firearms. 

    The teenage boy can be heard pleading with agents as they restrain his father and bring him to the ground. One of them tells the boy and other onlookers that they had waited “fifteen minutes” as the man and other unidentified occupants refused to open the window. According to a witness, the man’s family was waiting for a lawyer to arrive when agents smashed the window. 

    Northfield Police Chief Jeff Schroepfer put out a statement after WCCO contacted him. He confirmed that while officers responded to a 911 call related to the ICE detainment, they did not get involved in any capacity per department policy. 

    “We do not have the authority to interject ourselves into a federal investigation. I will not comment on the tactics or actions of ICE agents, as I do not have information regarding the background, circumstances, or history of the individual or investigation involved,” Schroepfer said in part. 

    While the family declined to be identified by name, loved ones said that the man is originally from Mexico. Krissa Anderson, who said she volunteers at local schools to assist with language learning, said that she worked with the man’s son in class last year. Anderson said that he is a hardworking man trying to provide for his family with two local jobs. 

    “Normally if somebody is arrested in our town there’s a public record of it and we can look it up and see what happened,” Anderson said, “in this situation there were unidentified men with no uniforms and no ID that came and took somebody and we didn’t know where he was going or what was happening.” 

    While a spokesperson for ICE confirmed they were working on WCCO’s inquiry, the agency did not provide any details about the arrest as of Wednesday evening. 

    In late October, Secretary of Homeland Scurity Kristi Noem came to Minneapolis to provide what they described as an update on ICE operations in the Twin Cities region. Noem claimed that federal agents had arrested more than 4,300 people in the metro area by that point in the year, claiming 3,316 had a criminal history. 

    In a recent 60 Minutes interview with Nora O’Donnell, President Donald Trump  said he believed ICE raids “haven’t gone far enough” when asked about footage of ICE detaining legal American citizens, tear gassing a Chicago residential neighborhood and smashing a car window. 

    Family said that they have received conflicting reports about where the man from Northfield is now held. This is a developing story.   

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    Conor Wight

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  • Judge grants preliminary injunction against Bovino, federal agents over use of force:

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    A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against federal immigration agents over their use of force during Operation Midway Blitz, telling lawyers for the Trump administration she found their evidence “simply not credible.”

    “It is difficult to conceive how an injunction requiring the government to comply with the Constitution could possibly be harmful,” U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said as she explained her decision.

    She said she is granting “complete relief to plaintiffs” and rejected the government’s request for a stay pending appeal, saying they have not made a strong showing that they’re likely to succeed on the merits of their claim.

    A group of protesters and journalists sued the Trump administration over immigration agents’ aggressive tactics in Chicago. Ellis had already issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting agents from using tear gas and other riot control weapons against people who do not pose an immediate threat. Agents are also required to issue two warnings before deploying tear gas or using other riot control weapons.

    Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino testified in court for several hours about his and his agents’ use of force in immigration enforcement and in responding to protesters and civilians. He also sat for two depositions between that hearing and Thursday’s.

    Watch portions of Bovino’s deposition used as evidence in this ruling: Part 1 | Part 2

    Ellis said she sees no need for the tactics agents are currently using, saying, “I would find the use of force shocks the conscience.”

    Ellis said she’s found “this conduct [by federal agents] shows no sign of stopping” and didn’t stop after she initially issued and expanded her temporary restraining order. She said neighbors have also indicated they intend to continue protesting immigration enforcement operations.

    The injunction bars federal agents from using force against journalists. Agents may ask journalists to change their location as long as they give them a reasonable time to comply, and their new location still allows them to observe government operations.

    Federal agents cannot disperse crowds unless justified by exigent circumstances as defined by DHS’s use-of-force policy. They are also barred from using riot control weapons unless needed to stop harm to another person.

    The use of tear gas, pepper spray or other less-lethal weapons is banned “unless such force is necessary to stop the immediate threat of physical harm to another.” This includes standing or kneeling on a person’s body. Ellis further ordered that two separate warnings must be issued before any of those tactics are deployed and that they must be issued at a volume at which people can reasonably hear them.

    Federal agents are banned from arresting people who disobey a lawful dispersal order unless those persons have committed a crime.

    She said that officials’ fear of injury cannot justify the suppression of free speech, and that while law enforcement is allowed to disperse a crowd when a threat to peace and or order appears, she does not find “the defendant’s version of events credible.”

    The injunction also more strictly enforces identification requirements for agents, ordering that all agents who are not undercover or not uniformed have two separate places on their uniform that publicly identify them and their agency. All federal agents in uniform must also wear and activate their body-worn cameras. The only time a body-worn camera is not needed is during undercover activity and while conducting surveillance when enforcement is not planned, on flights or in DHS-owned facilities.

    Ellis ordered the government to widely disseminate the injunction to all law enforcement personnel who are part of Operation Midway Blitz, and all supervisors up to and including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, by 10 p.m. Thursday electronically and/or on paper. 

    She also ordered the plaintiffs to make a good-faith attempt to wait at least 24 hours before filing a request for relief. 

    Ellis began her hearing by reading the poem “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg, which includes the famous description, “City of the Big Shoulders,” saying it reflects the city and metropolitan area that she knows and sees. She said while the government would have people believe the Chicagoland area is “ransacked by rioters,” “that simply isn’t true.”

    She said videos and photographs submitted by both plaintiffs and defendants showed the government acting in contradiction to limits set by the initial temporary restraining orders, deploying tear gas, flash-bangs and pepper balls with “no warning whatsoever.”

    She also noted Bovino himself has deployed tear gas without warning and lied about the circumstances that led to his actions. She said in Brighton Park on Oct. 4, video shows that “Defendant Bovino obviously attacks and tackles” a person to the ground, despite saying he never used force against that person.

    “More telling,” she said, “Defendant Bovino admitted that he lied. He admitted that he lied that a rock hit him before he deployed tear gas in Little Village.”

    Ellis acknowledged that, since coming under unified command, violence has decreased, but said that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t have the “likelihood to exist.” She also noted that federal agents have had objects thrown at them and faced protesters and opposition that hasn’t been peaceful.

    Addressing the incident in Brighton Park, she said that some people did throw water bottles at agents, but “this still did not warrant pepper balls without warning.”

    She criticized the government for how they have characterized civilian opposition to immigration enforcement, saying, “Describing rapid response networks and neighborhood moms as professional agitators [shows] just how out of touch agents are.”

    “A Constitution of government once changed from freedom can never be restored,” Ellis said, quoting John Adams, before reading the specifics of her injunction, “Liberty once lost will be lost forever.”

    Please note: The above video is from a previous, related report

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  • ICE officer seriously injured by detainee as threats against agents rise, Homeland Security says

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    Washington — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was seriously injured Monday after being struck in the face with a metal coffee cup during an arrest operation in Houston, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

    The officer sustained a deep laceration requiring 13 stitches, plus several burns to his face. 

    Authorities say the suspect, Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez, a previously deported Salvadoran national with convictions for sexual assault of a minor, child fondling and multiple DUIs, attacked the officer while agents attempted to take him into custody. 

    Perez, who had been deported from the United States twice — first in June 2013 and again in February 2020 — allegedly reentered the country illegally at an unknown time and location, according to DHS. He’s now in ICE custody. 

    DHS Assistant Secretary for External Affairs Tricia McLaughlin condemned the assault and said, “Anyone who lays a hand on our ICE officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” 

    Death threats targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have increased 8,000%, DHS announced in October, pointing to a wave of online harassment and violent rhetoric aimed at agents and their families. DHS Officials have not yet provided further data about the explosion in death threats, however.

    Last month, federal agents arrested Eduardo Aguilar, a Mexican national in Dallas accused of offering money on TikTok for the murder of ICE agents. According to DHS, investigators have tracked a series of threatening phone calls and social media posts targeting officers in Texas and Washington state.

    In Texas, an ICE officer’s spouse received a threatening call, according to a release by DHS. “I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night. F*** you, f*** your family. I hope your kids get deported by accident. How do you sleep? F*** you,” the caller said, according to DHS. “Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family.” 

    A separate voicemail left on an ICE employee’s phone was also discovered, according to DHS, in which a caller says, “I hope every one of those lawless c**** you call ICE officers gets doxxed one by one.”

    Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Gregory Bovino told CBS News in an interview last month that such incidents reflect a broader surge in violence against federal agents nationwide. 

    “What we’re seeing here in Chicago are oftentimes United States citizens attacking Border Patrol agents, ICE agents, and allied law enforcement,” Bovino said. “When that happens, if you attack us, we’re going to arrest you and take you to jail. That shouldn’t be normal, and we don’t want it to be normal — but that’s what’s happening now.”

    Bovino said transnational criminal groups have gone so far as to place bounties on the heads of federal officers. 

    “The Latin Kings here in Chicago put a bounty out on the heads of federal law enforcement,” he said. “You bet we’re going to go where those Latin Kings are. Don’t put a bounty on our heads — we’re going to come after yours.”

    This week, a federal judge in Chicago is considering a preliminary injunction over the tactics used by federal agents during Chicago’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” including claims that Bovino oversaw use of tear gas and other riot control measures used against protesters, journalists, and clergy. The case highlights growing scrutiny over how federal agencies deploy riot control weapons and less than lethal tactics in urban settings and how frontline threats to agents compound already aggressive operations.

    At a press conference in Gary, Indiana, last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the recent wave of attacks against immigration officers “unacceptable,” adding, “Every single ICE officer has someone who loves them — a family member, someone who cares that they come home at night.” 

    On Oct. 1, the FBI and DHS issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning that “domestic violent extremists” have escalated attacks against ICE facilities and personnel. Since June, the bulletin said, extremists in at least three states have carried out pre-planned violent strikes, including an October rooftop shooting into ICE transport vehicles in Dallas that wounded several detainees. The bulletin cautioned such attacks reflect “an evolution in tactics and an escalation in violence” and urged state and local law enforcement to be especially vigilant. 

    In September, a gunman fired from a rooftop into a secure sally port at a Dallas ICE facility, killing one detainee and critically injuring two others before taking his own life. Authorities recovered an unused shell casing inscribed with “ANTI-ICE” and said the shooting was likely ideologically motivated. The same facility had been the target of a bomb threat in August, when a man claiming to carry explosives was arrested.

    Noem warned that any assault on federal officers will be met with “the fullest extent of the law.” The department has set up a tip line (866-DHS-2-ICE) and an online portal for reporting harassment, threats or doxes.

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  • Federal immigration operation called off for greater Bay Area, Oakland mayor says

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    A planned immigration crackdown by federal agents has been canceled for the entire Bay Area for now, Mayor Barbara Lee of Oakland said Friday.

    “I spoke with Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez, who confirmed through her communications with ICE that Border Patrol operations are cancelled for the greater Bay Area – which includes Oakland – at this time,” Lee said in a statement obtained by CBS News Bay Area.

    A spokesperson with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office told CBS News Bay Area that Sanchez spoke with ICE Thursday afternoon, who stated that the operations were cancelled at this time.

    So far, there’s been no confirmation from the Department of Homeland Security.

    The statement comes one day after President Trump announced that he called off a so-called “surge” operation of federal agents in San Francisco scheduled for this weekend, following conversations with Mayor Daniel Lurie and prominent leaders in the tech industry.

    Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was among the tech leaders who asked the president to reconsider, Mr. Trump said. Benioff had previously urged the president to deploy the National Guard to San Francisco to address public safety, comments which he later apologized for.

    On Wednesday, U.S. officials told CBS News that Border Patrol agents would stage at the U.S. Coast Guard base in Alameda for a planned operation. Border patrol commander Gregory Bovino, one of the most visible faces of the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration crackdown, was expected to be involved.

    Following reports of the crackdown, protesters gathered outside Coast Guard Island early Thursday morning, with demonstrators attempting to block vehicles from entering the island. The day-long protest ended late Thursday after a U-Haul truck attempted to back into a line of U.S. Coast Guard and law enforcement, which led to Coast Guard security personnel opening fire at the truck.

    The driver of the truck was wounded in the stomach and was being held for a mental health evaluation, the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday. Meanwhile, two civilians who were injured are expected to survive, while a bystander struck by a fragment was treated at a hospital and released.

    Lee also issued a statement about the shooting incident at Coast Guard Island, saying “The Oakland Police Department is assisting the Alameda Police Department in securing the perimeter of the scene. The FBI is the lead agency investigating the incident, and I will continue to gather available information as it becomes accessible.”

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    Tim Fang

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  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to speak in Minneapolis about immigration enforcement

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    Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and other federal officials will be in Minneapolis on Friday for what they are calling a discussion on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and to give an update on President Trump’s immigration enforcement operations in the region. 

    A news conference with Noem is scheduled for Friday afternoon in Minneapolis. No other details about the event were immediately provided. 

    Mayor Jacob Frey said in a written statement ahead of Noem’s visit on Friday, “Minneapolis doesn’t flinch when it comes to our values. We stand with our immigrant neighbors — not just in words, but in the laws we’ve passed, the policies we enforce, and the way we show up for each other every day.”

    Minneapolis City Councilor Jason Chavez wrote a letter to his constituents on Thursday, saying he was “concerned” after hearing about Noem’s scheduled news conference. Chavez went on to write about the city’s lawsuit with eight other local governments against the Trump administration regarding the conditions it set for millions of federal dollars for emergency and disaster preparedness. 

    Late last month, the United States Department of Justice sued the state of Minnesota, as well as the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, over so-called “sanctuary city” policies. In the 34-page lawsuit, the department asked a judge to invalidate sections of the state constitution, city codes in St. Paul and Minneapolis and Hennepin County administrative orders. Federal prosecutors claim the collective policies that prevent local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement are unconstitutional. 

    Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have city ordinances that prohibit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The state of Minnesota has no law making it a “sanctuary state” for undocumented immigrants. 

    After word spread about Noem’s news conference, groups announced plans to gather in protest. 

    WCCO reporter Frankie McLister will be following this story. Check back for updates. 

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