4 immigrants arrested in Minneapolis ICE roundup sue feds, fight detention

Operation Metro Surge: Detainees file lawsuits

FOX 9 is learning more about immigrants arrested as part of Operation Metro Surge as part of its team coverage examining lawsuits filed on behalf of some of those that have been detained.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Four immigrants arrested in the ongoing immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration.

Arrested immigrants sue Trump administration

What we know:

Since the immigration enforcement operation started on Dec. 1, the Trump administration said it has arrested some of "the worst of the worst," a phrase it has used to describe those in the country illegally, with criminal histories.

According to federal court filings, 11 immigrants have sued the administration in federal court in Minnesota in December. Four of the lawsuits were filed by immigrants who were arrested since the ongoing enforcement operation launched.

Nearly all are challenging their detention, and at least three of them face deportation. Some said they are seeking asylum or are eligible for it. Another said he has a pending visa application. And another said he is in the country legally and is eligible for naturalization.

Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, who came to the United States from Somalia in 1995 and now lives in Shakopee, was ordered removed in 2004. He was arrested on Nov. 29, shortly before the immigration operation started.

In a social media post announcing his arrest, Homeland Security officials said he was ordered deported after asylum and fraud convictions in Canada.

The agency also included photos of Ibrahim with several Minnesota Democratic elected officials, including Gov. Tim Walz and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, among others. The connection between Ibrahim and the elected leaders beyond the photographs is not clear.

According to court records, Ibrahim was granted and then lost his immigration status and is awaiting a hearing on his most recent application to renew that status. Until then, he is subject to deportation, the records said.

Another man, Mahamed Cabdilaahi Awaale, immigrated to the United States from Somalia in 2022 after a member of his wife’s tribe stabbed him and killed his mother, court records said. He is seeking asylum.

The immigrants who filed lawsuits in December came from several countries, including Somalia; Sudan; Ethiopia; Ecuador; Honduras; Egypt; and Mexico.