US Citizen Claims Illegal Detention and Brutality by ICE Officers in Minnesota
A 23-year-old American woman from St. Paul has come forward with disturbing allegations of illegal detention and excessive force by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Nasra Ahmed, a U.S. citizen, detailed her traumatic experience during a news conference at the Minnesota Capitol on Wednesday, describing how she was surrounded, handcuffed, and injured by federal agents.
Violent Encounter Outside Her Apartment
According to Ahmed, the incident occurred on January 14 when she stepped out of her St. Paul apartment. She reported that several ICE officers immediately surrounded her and demanded identification. While attempting to produce her ID, the situation escalated dramatically as agents pinned her down, applied handcuffs, and forcefully shoved her into their vehicle.
"They kidnapped me. They took me. They arrested and detained me for two days, and I was put in the county jail," Ahmed stated emotionally during the conference. "They pushed me hard. They used a lot of violence. My body still hurts. I got a concussion."
Evidence of Excessive Force and Racial Abuse
Video evidence recorded by Ahmed's neighbors corroborates her account, showing more than a dozen officers surrounding and handcuffing her before forcing her into their vehicle. The young woman described additional disturbing details:
- Agents pressed their knees and elbows into her back, causing injuries
- Officers used racial slurs against her during the handcuffing process
- She sustained facial bruises and a concussion from being slammed to the ground
- She was shackled and treated as a criminal despite being a U.S. citizen
At the news conference, a bandage covered the right side of Ahmed's face as she pointed to various injuries on her face, neck, legs, and wrists. "Everything hurts," she explained, noting that medical professionals had diagnosed her with a concussion resulting from the agents' actions.
Family's Desperate Search and Proof of Citizenship
When Ahmed was detained, her aunt immediately contacted her father, Mohamed Ahmed, who learned his daughter had been taken by ICE. Mohamed Ahmed expressed his outrage on Wednesday, asserting that his daughter's detainment represented not legitimate immigration enforcement but rather an operation specifically targeting Somali Americans.
"I couldn't get any information about her for a whole 24 hours," Mohamed Ahmed revealed, describing the family's frantic efforts to locate Nasra with assistance from State Representative Samakab Hussein.
After determining Nasra was being held at the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River (following initial detention at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling), her father brought her passport and birth certificate to prove her U.S. citizenship and secure her release.
Broader Pattern of ICE Activity in Minnesota
State Representative Samakab Hussein, a St. Paul Democrat who attended Wednesday's news conference, confirmed that similar reports about ICE activity have been emerging from the community. "This needs to stop," he emphasized, calling for an end to such practices.
Ahmed's case appears to be part of a larger pattern, as numerous U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants have reported unlawful detentions in Minnesota since December. This increase in enforcement activity coincides with the federal government's decision to boost the number of ICE and Border Patrol agents working in Minnesota to approximately 3,000 in January.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has indicated that hundreds more ICE agents may be deployed to Minnesota, potentially leading to even more widespread stops, interrogations, and detentions.
Political Tensions and Community Impact
As tensions between protesters and ICE agents have grown across the Twin Cities, President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would authorize military force deployment against Minnesotans. This political backdrop adds complexity to an already volatile situation.
Nasra Ahmed, reflecting on her identity and experience, made a powerful statement about what it means to be American: "I'm Somali, but also American," she declared, challenging the racial assumptions that she believes motivated her detention.
The emotional toll of the experience was evident as Ahmed broke down in tears while sharing her story. "This is a scar that I will carry for the rest of my life," she confessed, highlighting the lasting psychological impact of the two-day detention that has left her physically injured and traumatized.
