Families in Minnesota are reeling after a series of aggressive immigration raids by US federal agents, which have seen loved ones detained and swiftly moved hundreds of miles away, leaving shattered lives in their wake.
Arrests on the Way to Work and Hospital
The coordinated enforcement operation, described by the Trump administration as its largest to date, has seen about 3,000 federal agents deployed to the region. In recent weeks, more than 2,400 people in Minnesota have been arrested. Many have been rapidly transferred to distant detention centres or removed from the country entirely.
Paulo Sosa Garcia and his wife, Ramona Cecilia Silva, were on their way to work in Inver Grove Heights when immigration agents pulled over their vehicle and arrested them. Within a day, they were detained in El Paso, Texas.
In a separate incident, Tomas Martinez Gregorio was driving his wife, Daisy Martinez, and their six-year-old son, Jayren, to a hospital in Brooklyn Park for the boy's tonsillectomy. Federal agents stopped the car and took Gregorio. The child never made it to his surgery appointment.
Families Left in Anguish and Uncertainty
The aftermath has left families struggling to cope. "I just want for my parents to come back home," said Cecilia Sosa, the eldest daughter of Sosa Garcia and Silva. The couple, who came to the US from Mexico in 1999, were in a years-long process to obtain legal residency. Shockingly, they had been told their case was approved to move forward just five days before their detention.
Their three daughters are now fundraising for legal fees, posting a video on TikTok describing their "worst nightmare". After nearly three decades building a life in Minnesota, starting a cleaning business, and supporting their family—including helping with college expenses and caring for an ailing grandfather—the parents are now held separately at the Camp East Montana tent facility in Fort Bliss, El Paso. This site has been criticised by human rights groups for alleged physical abuse and unsafe conditions.
Daisy Martinez faces the heartbreak of explaining her husband's absence to their son. "He says every single day: 'Can we get Tommy back?'" she shared. The boy told her he dreamed his stepfather had returned and was sad to wake up. "It just breaks my heart," Martinez said.
Legal Status Provides No Shield
Disturbingly, local leaders and immigration lawyers report that some of those arrested had valid visas and a right to be in the US. This follows the Trump administration's announcement that it would "re-examine thousands of refugee cases". The Guardian confirmed several refugees with legal status have been arrested in recent days.
Arrests have occurred in neighbourhoods—at homes, workplaces, shops, and outside schools and places of worship. Martinez, a US citizen, explained she and her undocumented husband had deliberately not applied to adjust his status under the current administration, fearing it would draw ICE's attention. Her fears were realised when armed agents cornered their car. She recorded video pleading with them, later being told her husband had no criminal record, leaving her with no clear reason for his detention.
Since her husband's arrest on New Year's Eve, Martinez has suffered physically and mentally, struggling to work and care for her son alone. "[ICE] made me feel like my citizenship doesn't matter any more," she stated. Now, she vigilantly watches her neighbourhood, helping friends and neighbours without citizenship by running errands. "I basically tell everyone here: 'I couldn't save my husband, but I could probably save you,'" she said.
