US Citizens Report Detention and Pressure Tactics During Immigration Crackdown

Two Minneapolis residents monitoring immigration enforcement activities claim they were detained for hours without charges, subjected to harsh conditions, and pressured to provide information about protesters and undocumented immigrants.

Brandon Sigüenza and Patty O’Keefe, both American citizens, report they were held at a federal facility after following Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles during operations in the Twin Cities. The detention occurred amid the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement actions.

“At one point, the officer said in vague terms that it looks like I’m in trouble, and he could possibly help me out,” Sigüenza said, noting he refused what he described as an offer of money or legal protection in exchange for identifying protest organizers or undocumented residents in his neighborhood.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Border Patrol, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations.

According to Sigüenza and O’Keefe, they were monitoring immigration officers on Sunday when the agents stopped in front of O’Keefe’s car, deployed pepper spray through her windshield vent, and smashed her windows despite the doors being unlocked. Both claim they were subsequently taken to a highly restricted federal facility in Minneapolis.

The tactics described mirror those reported in other cities where immigration crackdowns have intensified, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Orleans. Civil rights observers have documented similar aggressive enforcement methods in those locations, including roving patrols, warrantless arrests, and the use of chemical irritants.

“It was very clear that they were trying to just humiliate me, break me down,” O’Keefe said of her detention experience. She added that officers mocked her appearance and made disturbing references to a recent incident where an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. According to O’Keefe, one agent threatened them by saying that “obstructing” their work was how Good was killed.

The American Civil Liberties Union has already filed a lawsuit alleging immigration officers have been surveilling activists who monitor their activities in the Twin Cities, actions the ACLU claims violate First Amendment rights.

Upon arrival at the detention facility, Sigüenza and O’Keefe describe being placed in adjacent gender-segregated cells reserved for U.S. citizens. Each cell, approximately 10 feet by 10 feet, contained multiple detainees along with a concrete bench, flat-screen TV, two-way mirror, and surveillance camera.

Both witnesses reported distressing conditions inside the facility. They observed detainees crying for help while others appeared defeated. In one disturbing instance, they claim to have seen a woman attempting to use a toilet while three male agents watched. They noted most detainees appeared to be Hispanic men, with some East African individuals also present—significant given Minnesota hosts the nation’s largest Somali community.

“Just hearing the visceral pain of the people in this center was awful,” O’Keefe said. “And then you juxtapose that with the laughter we heard from the actual agents… It was very surreal and kind of shocking.”

Sigüenza reported that two of his cellmates had visible injuries—one with a head wound, another with an injured toe—yet neither received medical attention. Requests for water or bathroom access outside the cells were ignored, he added.

While both were permitted to speak with attorneys, Sigüenza said he was the only one allowed to make a phone call, which he used to contact his wife. He also described being taken to a separate room where investigators allegedly offered inducements in exchange for information.

Sigüenza, who is Hispanic, said he refused to identify any protest organizers or neighbors who might be undocumented, noting that he has no family members without legal status. Both he and O’Keefe were released that evening without being charged.

“We were not charged with a crime,” Sigüenza said. “We were released and then tear-gassed on our way out,” referring to chemical agents officers were using on protesters outside the facility.

These allegations come as detention conditions at immigration facilities nationwide face increasing scrutiny. In Chicago, complaints about a similar regional operational hub led to a judge’s oversight visit and court-ordered improvements.

While DHS has consistently defended conditions at its facilities, stating that detainees receive adequate food and medical attention, immigration attorney Lynn Damiano Pearson of the National Immigration Law Center notes that all detainees retain basic rights, including access to counsel, phone communications, food and water, and privacy from opposite-gender staff when using restrooms.

O’Keefe and Sigüenza believe their detention was meant to intimidate them and other critics of the immigration enforcement operations. They have shared their experiences widely on social media, adding to growing concerns about aggressive tactics in immigration enforcement.