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ICE arrests more than 400 criminal illegal immigrants in Tim Walz’s Minnesota sanctuary

DHS Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin was blunt: she assured that state and local authorities "failed to protect the people of Minnesota" and that, on the contrary, "they allowed sexual predators and dangerous criminals to circulate freely".

Agentes de CBP y del ICE patrullan las calles (Archivo)

CBP and ICE agents patrol the streets (File).AFP.

Diane Hernández
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Diane Hernández

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3 minutes read

Minnesota was at the center of controversy after the detention of more than 400 undocumented immigrants with criminal records, including convicted pedophiles, rapists and violent offenders, as a result of Operation Metro Surge, led by federal immigration authorities.

From the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) they did not hesitate to point to the sanctuary policies promoted by Governor Tim Walz and the Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, as the breeding ground that allowed these criminals to remain at large.

DHS Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin was blunt: she assured that state and local authorities "failed to protect the people of Minnesota" and, on the contrary, "they let these monsters and child predators roam free." As McLaughlin said in an agency statement, the federal intervention was necessary precisely because sanctuary policies blocked cooperation with federal law enforcement, making it difficult to remove aliens with final orders of deportation.

"Tim Walz and Jacob Frey continue to demonize our brave police"

"ICE law enforcement officers have arrested more than 400 illegal aliens including pedophiles, rapists, and violent thugs," McLaughlin said. "Minnesota is safer with these thugs off their streets. Instead of thanking our law enforcement for removing criminals from their communities, Tim Walz and Jacob Frey continue to demonize our brave law enforcement."

DHS released specific examples of the detainees that illustrate the gravity of the situation: foreigners with convictions for rape, child molestation, weapons assaults, kidnapping and robbery, many with deportation orders in place for more than a decade that were never executed. The cases include individuals convicted of sexual abuse of children under 13, multiple rapes and armed assaults, from countries such as Laos, Burma, Somalia, Mexico and Ecuador.

DHS featured some of the worst criminal illegal immigrants arrested by ICE in Operation Metro Surge:

Ban Du La Sein, 47, an illegal immigrant from Burma, was convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct by force or coercion in Nobles County. He was sentenced to four years in prison and 10 years probation. Du La Sein has had a final deportation order since Feb. 27, 2014.Vannaleut Keomany, 59, an illegal immigrant felon from Laos, was convicted of two counts of rape in Columbus, Ohio. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. Keomany has had a final deportation order since Dec. 17, 2009.Sing Radsmikham, 52, an illegal immigrant from Laos, was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct by force or coercion in Roseau County. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and 10 years probation. Radsmikham has had a final deportation order since March 30, 2004.Liban Ali Osman, 43, an undocumented felon of Somali origin, was convicted of robbery in Columbus, Ohio. He was sentenced to three years in prison. Osman has had a final deportation order since May 17, 2011.Tou Vang, a 42-year-old illegal alien offender from Laos who was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a girl under the age of 13. Vang has had a final order of deportation since October 31, 2006.For Moua, a 50-year-old undocumented felon from Laos, he was convicted of first-degree grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 14 years and seven months in prison; sexual conduct in the third degree and sentenced to 18 months in prison; sexual intercourse with a minor (in California) and sentenced to 210 days in prison; and unlawful deprivation of liberty (in California) and sentenced to one year and four months in prison . Moua has had a final deportation order since October 31, 2000.Javier Bulmaro Turrubiartes, a 49-year-old alien offender from Mexico who has been arrested for soliciting children through electronic communications to engage in sexual conduct and convicted of hiring or agreeing to hire a child under the age of 16 for prostitution, for which he was sentenced to 75 days in jail and 75 days of work release.Somvang Phrachansiry, a 63-year-old undocumented felon from Laos, was convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon . He was sentenced to a total of eight years and six months for these offenses. Phrachansiry has had a final order of removal since May 23, 2001.Angel Edwin Quiquintuna Capuz, 26, an illegal immigrant and Ecuadorian felon, was convicted of robbery in Columbus, Ohio, and sentenced to three years in prison. He was also arrested for driving while intoxicated, assaulting a police officer, obstructing legal process and disarming a law enforcement officer.Joel Cuautle-Ocelotl, 51, a criminal alien originally from Mexico, was convicted of third-degree assault with intent to cause bodily injury in New York and driving under the influence of alcohol in Minnesota. Cuautle-Ocelotl had a final deportation order since Feb. 3, 2010; the order was reinstated on May 12, 2012 and Nov. 4, 2020.

For federal authorities, Operation Metro Surge was designed precisely to identify the "worst of the worst," criminals who—according to DHS—choose sanctuary states as safe havens, confident that local governments will not cooperate with ICE. In that context, the agency also announced the launch of an interactive database detailing the number and type of criminal aliens arrested and removed from the country.

The message from Washington is clear and confrontational: while local leaders defend sanctuary policies as a tool for inclusion, the federal government argues that these measures put the population at direct risk by prioritizing the protection of undocumented immigrants even when they have serious criminal records. The political battle is open, but the mass arrests have already set off an alarm that resonates loudly in Minnesota.

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