The ACLU, ACLU of Minnesota, Covington & Burling LLP, Greene Espell LLP, and Robbins Kaplan LLP filed a class action lawsuit today against the Trump Administration on behalf of three community members — and a class of similarly situated people — whose constitutional rights were violated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal agents.
Over the past six weeks, the Trump administration has increased the deployment of federal troops by thousands. Masked and uniformed federal agents have ignored basic human rights in their enforcement activity against Minnesotans, especially targeting Somali and Latino communities.
The Trump administration has been clear in its targeting of Somali and Latino communities through Operation Metro Surge. President Trump described people from Somalia as “trash,” said, “We don’t want them in our country,” and told them to “go back to where they came from.” In the wake of Trump’s comments, ICE and CBP agents randomly arrested Minnesotans — without warrants or probable cause — solely because agents deemed them Somali or Latino.
In their lawsuit, the three Minnesota residents challenge the administration’s policy of racial profiling, unlawful detention, and unlawful detention of people without a warrant and without probable cause. This is a violation of the constitutional rights of Minnesotans to equal protection and against unreasonable seizures.
prosecutor Mubasher Khalif Hussein 20 year old US citizen. On December 10, 2025, he was walking to lunch in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood when he was stopped by several masked ICE agents. When Hussein realized he was being stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he began repeating: “I am a citizen. I am a citizen.” But the agents refused to know Hussein’s identity.
ICE agents put Hussain into an SUV and took him to the Whipple Building in south Minneapolis. Only after being handcuffed, fingerprinted, and showing a photo of his passport card to someone in the Whipple building was Hussein released.
“At no time did any officer ask me if I was a citizen or if I had any immigration status,” he said. Hussein. “They did not ask for any identifying information, they did not ask about my connections to the community, how long I had lived in the Twin Cities, my family in Minnesota, or anything else about my circumstances.”
“The practices of ICE and CBP are illegal and morally reprehensible,” he said. Katherine Ahlen Halvorson, Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Minnesota. “The conduct of federal agents – rampaging through Minnesotans through racial profiling and unlawful arrests – is a serious violation of Minnesotans’ most basic rights, and has spread fear among immigrant communities and neighborhoods. No one, including federal agents, is above the law.”
“The government cannot stop and arrest people based on the color of their skin, or arrest people without probable cause,” he said. Kate Huddleston is a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrant Rights Project. “These types of police state tactics run counter to the fundamental principles of freedom and equality that remain the bedrock of our legal system and our country.”
“The people of Minnesota stand courageously in the face of the reign of terror unleashed by the Trump administration,” he said. Robert Fram, Senior Counsel at Covington & Burling. “We are proud to stand with them and help them in any way we can.”
“The heavy presence of ICE agents as part of Operation Metro Surge has disrupted civic life in the Twin Cities. Minnesotans are at risk of being stopped by ICE while going to work or shopping for groceries,” he said. Green Isbell Attorney Kshithij Shrinath. “We will continue to stand up for our community and the rule of law.”
If you are questioned, stopped, arrested, or detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) where the officers did not have a warrant or when the encounter appeared to be the result of racial profiling, visit aclu-mn.org/ice-feds-form.
Complaint here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/01/COMPLAINT-HUSSEN-v.-NOEM-1.pdf
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