Federal immigration agents have been reported across greater Minnesota as heightened enforcement activities continue in the Twin Cities.

Minnesotans across the state are reporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in their communities, from Rochester to Detroit Lakes. In the last month, the Department of Homeland Security has dispatched thousands of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to Minnesota for immigration enforcement in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Tensions in the Twin Cities and state have soared after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year old Renee Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Amid widespread protests after the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said “hundreds” more officers would be sent to Minnesota, Reuters reported.

ICE activity appears to have fanned out across the state, with increasing reports of agents in smaller Minnesota cities.

On Monday, the Detroit Lakes Tribune reported that ICE arrested a man in Detroit Lakes at the China Buffet restaurant. In a video posted of ICE agents outside the restaurant, an agent says the man will be taken to the ICE Field Office at 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling.

According to the U.S. Justice Department website, that address is the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, a field office for ICE which covers several midwestern states and an epicenter of anti-ICE protests in recent days.

In St. Cloud, witnesses report chaos as armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents descended on a strip mall to arrest someone Monday. According to St. Cloud LIVE reporting, witnesses said two protesters and a Somali resident were detained. Bystanders were pepper-sprayed, the story said.

The report from St. Cloud comes after St. Cloud LIVE confirmed ICE activity in St. Cloud and Waite Park on Saturday. On Sunday afternoon, more than 3,000 protesters lined several blocks along Division Street in St. Cloud in a demonstration against recent ICE activity in central Minnesota.

Late last week, the Rochester Post Bulletin reported about an increased presence of federal immigration agents in the far southeast Minnesota city. There, local lawmakers said they were aware of increased ICE activity in the area.

The Alexandria Echo Press reported ICE agents were spotted in Alexandria Saturday.

Reports of immigration enforcement have caused at least one area business to close for the time being. Don Pablo’s Mexican Restaurant, which has locations in Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes, closed until further notice on Sunday, citing ICE activity.

Fargo-Moorhead area

While ICE activity has not been confirmed in the Fargo-Moorhead area, some residents have posted about ICE presence in the community on social media and websites that track ICE operations. Some have posted reports of ICE sightings on iceout.org, though those reports are unverified. The website allows users to upload reports of ICE sightings with photos and videos.

Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski told WDAY News federal authorities have not made his department aware of any operations they may have going on in the city.

He said his department has received calls from community members about suspected ICE activity around schools, but when officers checked it out, that was not the case.

The Moorhead Police Department declined an interview request about ICE operations in Moorhead, instead sending a written statement on behalf of Police Chief Chris Helmick.

“The Moorhead Police Department does not comment on operations conducted by other agencies, including ICE,” Helmick said. “We are not in a position to confirm or provide information regarding their activities or whereabouts.”

In December, the Moorhead Police Department told WDAY the Moorhead Police Department would not assist with ICE operations in Moorhead. The department enforces local and state law. Immigration is a federal civil matter.

Moorhead Area Public Schools Superintendent Brandon Lunak addressed concerns about immigration enforcement in a message to families Monday. The school district follows laws to protect the privacy, safety and educational rights of students, he said.

“As part of our enrollment and registration process, we do not request or maintain information about the immigration status of our students or families,” Lunak said.

Additionally, district policy prohibits an outside agency from entering Moorhead schools without permission, a valid warrant or court order. Federal law limits the district from sharing student education records without written parental consent or a lawfully issued order, Lunak said.

“Our priority is to ensure that students feel safe, supported, and welcome in our schools so they can attend regularly, remain engaged and stay focused on learning and growth,” Lunak wrote.

On Monday, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her jointly announced a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to end the immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota. The lawsuit argues that the surge violates the First and 10th amendments of the U.S. Constitution, the Constitution’s guarantee of equal sovereignty between state and federal governments and a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.

Former Gophers star safety Koi Perich committed to Oregon on Monday.

The Esko, Minn., native picked the Ducks over Texas Tech; the rising junior visited both of those College Football Playoff programs after entering the transfer portal last week.

Perich had an outstanding freshman year and a bit of a sophomore slump. He will look to bounce back with one of the Big Ten’s best and best-funded programs.

Perich is the highest-profile player to exit the Gophers after the 2025 season. He heads to Eugene, Ore., just like former running back Bucky Irving in 2022.

The loss of Irving stung as he put up two 1,000 yards seasons and has had success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Once he’s done at Oregon, he could represent another big one who got away from Minneapolis. Minnesota and Oregon, however, do not play each other in 2026 or 2027 and Perich has two years of eligibility remaining.

Related Articles

Gophers add fourth defensive lineman to transfer portal class

Gophers take another running back transfer in Elon’s TJ Thomas

Gophers stock up with defensive tackle transfer Xion Chapman

Gophers stock up with transfer defensive tackle Zion Chapman

For Isaac Fruechte, returning to Gophers is a dream come true

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Jesper Bratt and Ondrej Palat each scored twice and the New Jersey Devils beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Monday night to snap a four-game skid.

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 12: Matt Boldy #12 of the Minnesota Wild shoots against the Jacob Markstrom #25 of the New Jersey Devils in the first period at Grand Casino Arena on January 12, 2026 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Brad Rempel/Getty Images)

Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist for New Jersey, and Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton each had two assists. Jacob Markstrom finished with 20 saves.

Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno scored for the Wild, and Jesper Wallstedt had 24 saves. Minnesota lost in regulation for just the second time in 10 games (4-2-4) and third in the last 18 (11-3-4).

Bratt scored his two goals 21 seconds apart to push the Devils’ lead to 4-1 at 7:49 of the third period. On the first, he got a nice feed from Hamilton in front and beat Wallstedt for a two-goal lead. Then, he redirected Hamlton’s point shot past the goalie for his 11th of the season.

Palat, who had two goals coming into the game, then got his second of the night at 9:39 after Mercer tapped a centering pass over in front for a four-goal lead.

Foligno scored a power-play goal with 19 seconds remaining for the final margin.

This was the third time Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes faced his two younger brothers, Devils center Jack Hughes and defenseman Luke Hughes, in an NHL game. The previous two times were when Quinn Hughes played for Vancouver.

Mercer gave the Devils a 1-0 lead midway through the first period on their first shot on goal of the game, a one-timer from the inside edge of the right circle off a pass from Nico Hischier from behind the goal line.

Hartman tied the score 1-1 with 6:19 remaining in the second period as he deflected Brock Faber’s long point shot through traffic for his 12th.

Palat put the Devils back ahead with 8 seconds to go in the middle period off a pass from Hischier.

Related Articles

Marathon road trip helps Quinn Hughes adjust to life with Wild

Youth hockey reunion with Wild produces Ben Jones’ first goal

Islanders spoil Wild homecoming with OT win

Overall, World Juniors was a Minnesota win, organizers say

Wild: After victory over Kraken, it was a whale of a road trip

A 25-year-old teacher at a special education school in Inver Grove Heights was taken into ICE custody early Monday morning in the school parking lot and was held for nearly 12 hours at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility at Fort Snelling, her mother told the Pioneer Press.

After an apparent collision with a federal vehicle, Christina Rank was taken into custody in the parking lot of the Concord Education Center while it was still dark, according to her mother, Sarah Hunkele.

Nearly 12 hours later, close to 7 p.m., Christina Rank was released for 10 days pending an investigation, Hunkele said.

Little contact

Hunkele said the lack of information and waiting to hear about her daughter had been “terrible.”

“You don’t know where she is going, where she is at, what is happening. There is no communication.”

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig’s office was working to learn more information and called the detention “shocking.”

“I’m incredibly concerned about today’s incident in Inver Grove Heights and will be pushing for answers,” Craig said in a Monday night statement. “Schools should be safe places for our teachers to teach and students to learn. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation in Congress to keep ICE out of sensitive locations, like schools, daycares and churches.”

During a morning phone call after her detention, Rank told her mother that she didn’t know why she was being held, Hunkele said. Rank told her mother that she would be able to call her again once ICE officials decided whether to press charges against her. But then Rank was unexpectedly released shortly before 7 p.m.

Events unclear

Hunkele said she is working with attorneys and others to obtain surveillance video from around the school area to determine what took place.

Videos posted on Facebook by an apparent coworker appear to show an ICE official claiming that Rank rammed his car, while bystanders say they saw him ram Rank’s car. The video was taken after the incident, as agents searched Rank’s car in the parking lot of the Concord Education Center at 9015 Broderick Blvd.

While ICE agents claim Rank hit their vehicle with her own, Hunklele said based on the damage to her daughter’s car, it seemed unlikely.

“There was no damage to her front bumper. The only damage was to the passenger side door and the back window where they had broken it.”

Hunkele questioned why the ICE agents were at the school, which offers alternative learning services for nine south metro public school districts.

“With it being a Level 4 school, I don’t understand why they were there,” she said. “It’s special education in a highly heated environment. The staff is there not only to teach but to protect. For federal agents to show up with guns?”

She believes her daughter would never interfere, impede or attack officials.

The school

Rank has been a paraprofessional at the school for the past seven years, working one-on-one with students with disabilities.

“She’s young,” her mother said. “She’s very passionate about her work. She’s very caring. She would never do anything with ill intent. There was a lot of unnecessary force used in a situation that could have been defused in many other ways.”

Amber Cherrier, who has worked as a special education teacher in the past, said a Level 4 school is one where the students cannot be around their non-disabled peers and have very limited vocal skills.

“These children will likely not understand the demands shouted by police or ICE,” Cherrier wrote in an email Monday night. “They will likely not be able to comply and are extremely vulnerable around police and ICE, especially if the person does not have extensive training and understanding of neurodivergence and how to de-escalate a situation. They also will have a much harder time processing trauma that they witness or happens to them.

“In general, the teachers, paraprofessionals, and other staff working in a level 4 school are very compassionate people with patience and genuinely care deeply for their students. They do everything they can to protect the children in the building.”

Related Articles

2025 St. Paul restaurants in review: Openings, closures and coming soon

‘He cares’: Inver Grove Heights superintendent announces retirement

Obituary: Brad ‘Cluey’ TeGantvoort, 60, found love in the Pioneer Press medallion hunt

Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame coming to Inver Grove Heights

3 charged in $500K immigration fraud scheme targeting Spanish-speaking churchgoers in Woodbury, Inver Grove Heights