American citizen was collared and mistakenly arrested by ICE agents

As soon as he stepped out into the snow in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, Minneapolis, Minnesota after lunch on December 9, Mubashir was rushed by a masked person and pushed hard toward the building’s hallway to control him.

“I told him: ‘I’m an American citizen. What’s going on?'” CNN today quoted Mubashir, a 20-year-old Somali-American who did not want to reveal his full name. “He dragged me out into the snow while I was handcuffed.”

Video recorded by people showed Mubashir being escorted to the car by two agents. One person grabbed his neck, tried to push his head down on the snow-covered road, and then put him into a gray SUV with no official vehicle license plate. “I am an American citizen,” Mubashir kept saying.

Commenting on the incident, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were “having a voluntary conversation” with a suspected illegal immigrant in an area “with a high level of criminal activity” when Mubashir emerged from a nearby restaurant, turned around and ran away.

The agents “had reason to suspect”, so they chased Mubashir. DHS accused Mubashir of “fiercely resisting and refusing to answer questions” from agents. Meanwhile, Mubashir said this person did not identify himself as an ICE agent, making him feel like he was attacked and kidnapped by a stranger.

During the press conference, Mubashir said he just stood still after turning around when he saw a car stop. Video extracted from the restaurant’s security camera shows an agent rushing into the restaurant, pushing Mubashir into the glass door. “Why did you run away?” the agent said.

DHS said the agitated crowd arrived and “began threatening agents.” “They detained Mubashir to safely complete the interrogation. This person was released shortly after.”

Meanwhile, Mubashir said he tried to show the agents an electronic copy of his passport on his phone, as well as tried to provide his name and date of birth to prove his nationality, but they refused. Instead, they asked him to allow him to take photos to verify his identity. Mubashir finally agreed to let the agents scan his face.

After multiple failed facial and fingerprint scans, agents took Mubashir to a federal detention facility. Here, Mubashir said he asked for drinking water and medical assistance but was refused. The DHS statement did not address these allegations.

Mubashir was released after two hours of detention. He asked the agents to take him back to the restaurant but they said he had to walk back in the snow. Mubashir finally called his parents to pick him up.

“If an American citizen is still treated like that in front of a camera, imagine what could happen to your loved ones when no one is there to witness it,” Mubashir, who has lived in the US since he was 4 years old, said at a press conference.

Mubashir’s arrest comes as ICE conducts a crackdown on undocumented Somali immigrants in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

“He was mistakenly arrested because he ‘looked Somali,'” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “This is a clear violation of the laws and constitution of the United States.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, urging her to review all recent arrests by federal authorities, expressing concern about the arrest of Mubashir and other American citizens.