ICE in Minnesota: Data shows majority arrested had no record

MINNEAPOLIS (KVRR/FOX9) — More than 3,700 immigrants were arrested by ICE in Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge.

That’s according to agency data obtained by the Deportation Data Project through a Freedom of Information Act request.

It doesn’t contain the names of detainees, but provides their age, nationality, date and location of arrest.

It does reveal that more than 60% of the people arrested had nothing on their records.

According to the data, less than 25% of the people arrested in Minnesota have any criminal convictions. Another 13% had pending criminal charges.

The operation’s intensity peaked in early January when 3,000 agents were arresting more than 100 people per day.

By January 23, arrests dropped and continued to decline as border czar Tom Homan took over the operation.

The data shows immigration agents never made it to the 4,000 arrests they claimed in early February.

The most common country of origin was Ecuador.

Before the surge, Ecuadorians living — legally for the moment — in Minnesota had almost 12,000 pending immigration cases and more than 1,900 pending asylum cases.

Agents arrested more than 1,000 natives of Ecuador during the surge, including Liam Conejo Ramos and family.