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By Mandy Taheri
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Susan Tincher, a 55-year-old U.S. citizen, says she was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota after she reportedly approached an officer who told her to “get back.”
Soon after, Tincher told MPR News, they were “throwing me on the ground and handcuffing me and putting me in their unmarked truck.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told ABC affiliate 5 KSTP that Tincher "was arrested after she assaulted a federal agent, tried to break through a security perimeter set up for public safety, ignored lawful commands, and became violent."
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Newsweek has reached out to ICE and the Minneapolis Police Department via email on Wednesday.
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Why It Matters
DHS announced last week ICE agents have arrested “some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens” in Operation Metro Surge in the Minneapolis area. The immigration enforcement campaign comes as President Donald Trump has escalated his negative rhetoric about Minnesota’s Somali community.
Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history and has used law enforcement to crack down on crime and illegal immigration. The administration has deported and detained tens of thousands, although some people with valid visas and green cards have also been reportedly swept up in the raids.
What To Know
Tincher says that around 6:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, she walked over to the site of where she heard there was “an abduction happening,” and “I approached one of the officers I saw there and asked if she was ICE, and she told me to ‘get back,’ and I didn’t get back.”
From there, a video shows her handcuffed on the ground in the snow, shouting “Help!” and being put into a vehicle by ICE agents. She says she was transported and held in the Whipple Federal Building for over four hours.
Local politicians have called out the arrest, raising concerns about government overreach.
Another U.S. citizen in the area was also reportedly detained by immigration authorities, according to a release from Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman. He said a 20-year-old man was detained Tuesday afternoon in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood despite being a U.S. citizen.
What People Are Saying
Jim Tincher, Susan’s husband, to MPR News: “Just seeing that the government could do this—arrest somebody for doing nothing illegal and throw her down, handcuff her. Seeing the video of Sue being handcuffed on the ground? That was chilling.”
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, in an X post Tuesday: “This morning, our office heard from community members about this outrageous show of force and arrest of a US citizen for no apparent reason. We immediately engaged ICE to determine her whereabouts and ask when she would be released. We're relieved that she was released shortly before noon. ICE should never arrest US citizens for practicing their constitutional right to observe law enforcement activity. It is astonishing that this needs to be said. If you are a US citizen planning to peacefully observe ICE, make sure your family or friends have a copy of your passport or proof of citizenship. Fill out the ICE privacy waiver and have it on hand. If you are our constituent and are detained, your family or friends can contact my office, and we will follow up with ICE.”
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement to local ABC affiliate 5 KSTP: "During a targeted enforcement operation to arrest Quiquintuna Capuz, a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador with a previous conviction for felony assault on a police officer, a violent group of rioters formed and began assaulting and obstructing law enforcement as they were arresting this dangerous criminal. Susan Tincher was arrested after she assaulted a federal agent, tried to break through a security perimeter set up for public safety, ignored lawful commands, and became violent. Secretary Noem has been clear: if you lay a hand on a law enforcement you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Osman, in a statement on Tuesday: "Mobashir, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen who has lived in Minneapolis since he was 1-year-old, was working at a restaurant on the top floor of a building in Cedar-Riverside when he observed ICE agents harassing individuals in the parking lot below. Concerned for his neighbors, he descended the back stairs to assess the situation. Upon stepping outside, two agents immediately rushed him, tackled him to the ground, and applied a chokehold, leaving him confused and terrified."
What Happens Next
Immigration efforts in Minneapolis are ongoing.
Update, 12/12/25 at 12:12 p.m. ET: A statement from DHS was added.
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