'Worst of worst criminal illegal aliens arrested in Minnesota': US Homeland Security

US President Donald Trump has had a clear stance on immigrants which has led to many detentions and deportations ever since he assumed office. And the recent Minnesota shooting has highlighted the plight of immigrants in the US. The tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now under the scanner after the January 7 incident. US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) mentioned arresting criminals from Minnesota.

The department highlighted the success of  Operation Metro Surge, a statement noted “arrests ofworst of the worst criminal illegal aliensfrom Minnesota neighborhoodsincludingmurderers, violent assailants, and one criminal illegal alien with twenty-four convictions.”

In the document, the department said politicians “have released nearly 470 criminal illegal aliensback into American communities since President Trump took office.”

The department noted that these moves are made to make Minnesota safe again. And the department said was in “direct contrast to the refusal of Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey to cooperate with ICE.”

Data from immigration detention centers

Data released shows that immigration detention centers can also be deadly environments for those being held in them. Press releases from ICE reveal that a number of people have died in custody in the just first few days of 2026 -- immediately following a year when migrant detainee deaths reached a 20-year high and the number of ICE detentions increased exponentially.

More than 68,000 adults were in ICE detention as of the end of December, up from about 36,000 in December 2023, agency data shows.

Violence and deportation

In April 2025, Kilmer Abrego-Garcia, a Maryland resident, was deported to El Salvador, after which a senator visited him, looking for ways to bring him back. And now, Trump says Abrego-Garcia is not 'innocent'. Abrego-Garcia was deported in one of the three high-profile deportation flights to El Salvador in March. The administration said he was a member of the MS-13 gang, which is an international criminal group. In contrast, the judge, in his ruling, prohibited his removal from his home country.

Abrego-Garcia's lawyers have demanded his return to the United States. A complaint filed by his family mentions that his 5-year-old son and wife are both US citizens residing in Maryland. It also noted that he was driving with his son seated in the backseat when ICE officers stopped his car and handcuffed him.

However, the Trump administration refrained from bringing him back from El Salvador, saying they did not have the legal authority to expedite the process of return.