Months after the surge of immigration agents in Minnesota was announced to be ending, fear still pervades the state, especially within the large Somali community in Minneapolis.
Abdi, a 23-year-old Somali man, says he still lives in the shadows. He rarely stays in one place for more than five nights and fears ICE agents showing up at his door. He fled Somalia in 2022 after al-Shabab tried to recruit him, spending $15,000 on the journey through the dangerous Darién Gap to the US border. Despite having Temporary Protected Status until 2029, he knows friends have been detained.
Homeland Security says Operation Metro Surge arrested over 11,000 criminal illegal aliens, calling it a public safety victory. But for Abdi, deportation, which carries a 10-year bar from the US, is an existential threat.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey points to a policy contradiction: the federal government removing TPS for Somalis while warning against travel to Somalia due to danger. The raids have impacted schools and businesses. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says the tactics created a war zone atmosphere with masked, heavily armed agents.
Faith leaders have been brought together by the crisis, forming alert networks to warn residents of ICE presence. Two volunteer observers, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by agents in January. Abdi says his American dream is shattered but he would rather live in hiding in the US than return to Somalia.