As we look back at some of the immigration stories that captured the most attention from readers this year, one thing is obvious — we’re only at the beginning.
As President Donald Trump ramps up efforts to quickly deport millions of immigrants, Sahan Journal wrote stories that showed families being torn apart or hiding in fear, U.S. citizens being arrested, and everyday Minnesotans mobilizing to protect their neighbors from federal agents. We’re seeing Minnesota garnering national media attention after the Trump administration recently focused on targeting Somalis here through “Operation Metro Surge.”
Here are our top five immigration stories of 2025:
1. U.S. citizen offered to show ID but was arrested by immigration officers in Cedar-Riverside
Federal agents began “Operation Metro Surge” targeting Somalis in Minnesota on Dec. 1, descending into immigrant-dense neighborhoods, spreading fear and chaos. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) planned a news conference Wednesday afternoon to highlight updates, including arrests of U.S. citizens — but the focus shifted quickly when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and protesters in Cedar-Riverside hit a boiling point.
As snow fell, I drove to Cedar-Riverside to get the latest information from eyewitnesses about what happened there earlier that day. Around 1 p.m., ICE officers walked into nearby businesses in the Somali-heavy neighborhood, questioning people and asking them to show their passports. After obtaining the video of the arrest of a Somali U.S. citizen from an eyewitness, I went into the Brian Coyle Center on Cedar-Riverside for the scheduled CAIR-MN news conference — where I met Mubashir, the person in the video I just watched.
When Mubashir shared his story of the arrest that night, it spurred a response from elected officials, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
2. Protesters confront federal officers during enforcement action on Lake Street in Minneapolis
Another incident where protesters and federal officers clashed occurred this past summer, drawing a crowd of more than 100 people. Federal agents showed up as armed officers and blocked access to Taqueria y Birrieria las Cuatro Milpas, a restaurant on E. Lake Street. Andrew Hazzard, Dymanh Chhoun and Aaron Nesheim and myself covered the protest as a team.
From the scene, we worked to quickly shuffle through the limited information shared by protesters, elected officials and local agencies to put together a story. We found that federal officers on that day were conducting an investigation as part of a Homeland Security task force investigating drug smuggling, labor trafficking and other complex criminal cases.
3. Hmong Minnesotan ordered deported to Laos speaks out about arrest: ‘It’s a tear in my heart’
One of my most memorable stories this year captured the experience of Chia Neng Vue, whose life changed after ICE showed up to his house on June 7. Aside from his family members, I was one of the first people to watch the video of Vue saying goodbye to his children in handcuffs — which he gave me permission to publish alongside the story of his arrest.
Vue is one of at least a dozen Hmong Minnesotans deported to Laos this past year. Many of them received a final order of deportation after they were convicted of serious crimes that happened decades ago. He reached out to me from the Freeborn County jail, one of three ICE detention facilities in Minnesota, offering a rare opportunity to shed light on the nuances of family separation and deportation.
4. Augsburg student swept up in immigration arrest could face prolonged detention
Kevin Alfredo Murillo Lucero, 19, was a freshman at Augsburg University in Minneapolis planning for his future before his arrest on Aug. 5. He was in a car on the way to his job with relatives when ICE stopped and detained everyone.
We interviewed Murillo Lucero at the Sherburne County jail, one of the three ICE detention facilities in Minnesota. He told us about his life before the arrest -– about missing his friends, family and dog, Simba. At 14 years old, Murillo Lucero came to the United States without his parents or legal status. When he was arrested, he had a work permit and a pending asylum case, but after sitting in jail for more than a month, he voluntarily left the United States, according to his attorney, Evangeline Dhawan-Maloney.
5. Somali family reunites in Minneapolis as President Trump strands refugees across the world
Two sisters — Fardowsa Abdi Aden and Amina Aden — separated for more than a decade allowed us to capture the moment they were reunited at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Fardowsa, her husband and their eight children traveled for four days before they arrived at the airport just days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
We joined them on their first night together in a Minneapolis apartment, witnessing them embrace more family relatives and share a meal. Their journey to reunite represented a yearslong effort derailed years ago under Trump’s first presidency, and one they feared would stall again when he was re-elected in November.
Fardowsa’s family was one of the last group of refugees who resettled in Minnesota before Trump’s second term. On his first day back in office, he issued an executive order pausing the nation’s refugee resettlement program, stranding thousands across the world seeking to flee war and prosecution, and who were already approved for resettlement in the United States.
