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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations continue Wednesday in Minnesota, with reports of an increased presence in south Minneapolis. This comes two weeks after Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice has served grand jury subpoenas to five Minnesota government offices, including Gov. Tim Walz's office, Attorney General Keith Ellison's office, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's office. Additionally, law enforcement leaders voiced concerns about racial profiling by federal agents after an off-duty officer experience with ICE.
Several news conferences related to ICE in Minnesota are scheduled for Wednesday.
Watch FOX 9 live in the player at the top of the page. Additional coverage, including of live events, can be found in the player below.
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2:30 p.m. - U.S. citizen says she was unjustly detained, suffered concussion
A 23-year-old Somali woman who lives in St. Paul says she was harassed and assaulted by federal agents during an incident last week.
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St. Paul resident says ICE agents harassed, assaulted her during arrest
Nasra Ahmed, a 23-year-old St. Paul resident, held a news conference Wednesday afternoon saying last week, she was harassed and assaulted by federal agents during an incident. She was detained for two days, given no reason why and eventually released. She suffered a concussion during the arrest, and still has a bandage over her right eye.
Nasra Ahmed says she was detained by ICE agents after asking two Somali men that the agents were monitoring to hold a door open for her. She says ICE agents intervened, took her into custody and she spent two days in the Sherburne County Jail before being released. The incident caused her mental and emotional trauma, and she says she suffered a concussion due to the force used. Ahmed had a large bandage above her right eye on Wednesday.
1:45 p.m. - White House confirms JD Vance will visit MN
Vice President JD Vance will visit Minnesota on Thursday, the White House has confirmed.
He will "hold a roundtable with local leaders and community members and will deliver remarks focused on restoring law and order in Minnesota," the White House announcement says.
12:30 p.m. – Elected officials in Minneapolis provide community updates to public
As immigration enforcement continues throughout Minnesota, local and state elected officials in Minneapolis are providing "collaborative community updates" on ICE operations for the public.
The press conference, involving Hennepin County, Director of Public Health Sara Hollie, Minneapolis Public Schools, School Board Chair Collin Beachy, Minneapolis City Council members Jason Chavez and Aurin Chowdhury, and Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board District 5 Commissioner Kay Caraval-Moran can be found live on FOX 9's YouTube page.
12 p.m. – Workers urge homebuilder to stop ICE raids at construction sites
Members of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) visited the regional office of D.R. Horton on Wednesday to urge the developer "to commit to keeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents off construction sites unless they obtain a judicial warrant."
The group is also calling on the company, which is the largest homebuilder by volume in the U.S., to make a public statement condemning the ICE escalations, and call for their presence to recede operations from the Twin Cities.
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Workers urge homebuilder to stop ICE raids at construction sites
Members of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) visited the regional office of D.R. Horton on Wednesday to urge the developer "to commit to keeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents off construction sites unless they obtain a judicial warrant."
11:30 a.m. – St. Paul City Council introduce ordinances amid federal immigration enforcement
The St. Paul City Council announced Wednesday it will introduce a series of updates and ordinances in direct response to the ongoing federal enforcement actions.
The full press release can be read below:
The Saint Paul City Council will swiftly introduce a series of ordinances and ordinance updates in response to federal immigration enforcement actions, working in partnership with the Mayor’s Office to clarify the City’s role relative to these actions.
The Council’s approach recognizes the urgency to act expediently and the necessity to build durable protections that provide clarity to residents and that can withstand legal challenges. The Council acknowledges that since the events of November 25th, 2025, on Rose Avenue that involved Saint Paul Police Department, the conditions and tactics of federal immigration enforcement agencies have changed and continue to change rapidly. The City must move urgently and therefore will not wait for one comprehensive update to the City’s existing separation ordinance (Chapter 44 of the City’s Administrative Code).
On Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, the City Council will introduce an ordinance prohibiting the use of City-owned parking lots and property for staging federal immigration enforcement activities.
Wednesday’s council meeting will also include a discussion of subsequent immediate and near-term actions.
The City Council recognizes how dire this moment is and is committed to using every tool available to meet it, including updating the existing separation ordinance but not relying on those changes alone to enact meaningful protections. This approach is comprehensive across departments, policies, and procedures.
The Council emphasized that the ordinance updates do not change federal law, do not interfere with lawful federal enforcement actions, and do not prevent compliance with valid warrants or court orders. Instead, they clarify the scope of the City’s authority and responsibilities under local law.
Starting immediately, the Council will introduce the updates as a series of ordinances and policy changes over the coming weeks, allowing for focused discussion, legal review, and public transparency as each proposal moves forward.
Additional information, including draft ordinances and meeting dates, will be shared as the legislative process proceeds. This phased approach allows for swifter action in response to the most pressing concerns of our community while maintaining legal standards.
11:20 a.m. – Walz pushes back on federal government taking credit
In a statement on X, Gov. Tim Walz said the state has always been committed to removing violent criminals and pushed back on the federal government taking credit.
"We all want to get violent criminals off our streets, and the State of Minnesota has never wavered in doing so. The federal government’s propaganda machine is taking credit for work that happened long before thousands of untrained agents showed up to put on a show for Trump."
11:15 a.m. – Cottonwood County Sheriff disputes ICE claim as ‘wholly inaccurate’
The Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office says it did not refuse to honor a detainer for an alleged child sexual predator, as ICE claims.
In a press release Wednesday, the sheriff’s office wrote that ICE submitted a request for advance notice of release, which did not request or authorize continued detention beyond his scheduled release.
When bail was posted, jail staff immediately notified ICE, but an agent said they were in the Twin Cities metro area and were unable to respond to Cottonwood County at that time. ICE indicated they would "pick him up at a later date" and requested his address, according to the release.
The statement was issued in response to a post ICE made Tuesday that said Cottonwood County "refused to honor our detainer" for "an alleged child sexual predator" but that "ICE still arrested him."
The sheriff’s office said ICE’s post was "wholly inaccurate and not true and does not represent the facts of this incident."
9:40 a.m. – Minnesota lawmakers support anti-ICE general strike
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DFL lawmakers show support for Jan. 23 strike
DFL lawmakers expressed support for a Jan. 23 strike in Minnesota to oppose the ICE surge in the state.
Lawmakers speak in support of the upcoming "ICE Out of MN: Day of Truth and Freedom" scheduled for Friday, which includes calls for a statewide pause from work, school, and shopping, as well as a march in downtown Minneapolis.
9:30 a.m. – Trump talks Minnesota fraud, immigration
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Trump mentions fraud in MN when asked what keeps him up at night
At the World Economic Forum, when asked what keeps him up at night, President Donald Trump mentioned fraud in Minnesota. Misrepresenting the amount of proven fraud uncovered in the state thus far.
While speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Wednesday, President Donald Trump touched on the ICE operations and fraud in Minnesota.
When asked what keeps him up at night, Trump pointed to what he described as widespread fraud in Minnesota, citing figures that exceed the proven amount of fraud uncovered thus far. "It could be more than $19 billion. Can you believe that? That’s just one state," Trump said.
Trump also mentioned the ICE operations in Minnesota, criticizing what he described as local opposition to federal immigration enforcement. He claimed ICE agents are getting beat up by "stupid people" and suggested the state does not appreciate the help from the federal government.
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Trump: 'Stupid people' in Minnesota don't appreciate help
President Donald Trump during his World Economic Forum speech on Jan. 21 mentioned Minnesota, ICE and Somalis. He was speaking about people in the United States illegally, saying ICE gets beat up by "stupid people" in Minnesota, and that Minnesota does not appreciate the help from the federal government.
9:10 a.m. – Vice President JD Vance coming to Minneapolis
A source confirmed to FOX News that Vice President JD Vance is coming to Minneapolis on Thursday with plans to hold a roundtable with local leaders and community members, in addition to delivering remarks.
9 a.m. – Increased ICE presence in south Minneapolis
Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez warned of an increase in immigration enforcement and federal agents across south Minneapolis.
"There’s definitely an uptick compared to the last few days," said Chavez in a social media post. "Please work with neighbors to create a plan and, if you have capacity, it would be great to have more observers."