Detention Center Director Provides Evidence to Counter Immigration Official’s Claims

Minnesota’s top corrections official has accused the Department of Homeland Security of deliberately misrepresenting immigration enforcement data to exaggerate the impact of their operations in the state, calling the agency’s tactics “pure propaganda.”

Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell presented evidence during a Thursday press conference in St. Paul that he says proves DHS, under Secretary Kristi Noem, has been systematically inflating numbers and mischaracterizing arrests to support the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown narrative.

“This is no longer a simple misunderstanding,” Schnell told reporters. “At best, DHS fundamentally misunderstands Minnesota’s correctional system. At a minimum, this reflects systemic data management inadequacies or incompetence. At worst, it is pure propaganda, numbers released without evidence to stoke fear rather than inform the public.”

The dispute centers on DHS claims regarding “criminal illegal aliens” in Minnesota. Noem’s department has repeatedly claimed that local authorities refused to honor ICE requests to detain more than 1,360 individuals in state custody, and that nearly 470 people with criminal records have been released into communities.

Schnell called these figures “categorically false.” A survey of Minnesota facilities found approximately 300 people with ICE detainers — 94 in county jails and 207 in state prisons — roughly 1,000 fewer than claimed by federal officials.

The commissioner also presented evidence contradicting specific DHS announcements. He highlighted a January 12 news release where federal officials claimed to have apprehended two men, Meng Khong Yang and Joshua Fornoh, “yesterday” during Operation Metro Surge. Schnell showed security footage proving these individuals had actually been transferred directly from Minnesota prisons to ICE custody.

“We have not found a single case where Minnesota prisons failed to honor an ICE detainer when a noncitizen left state custody,” Schnell said, explaining that state law requires prison officials to notify ICE when noncitizens enter prison and coordinate transfers upon release.

The commissioner’s allegations extend beyond these specific cases. He stated that some individuals listed on DHS “worst of the worst” rosters had been transferred to ICE years ago — some dating back to the 1990s. Others reportedly had no record of imprisonment in Minnesota at all, with only brief stays in local jails or no criminal record in the state.

In some instances, Schnell noted that after the DOC handed individuals to ICE, federal agents later released them back into communities where they now live under state or county supervision.

The controversy unfolds as Operation Metro Surge faces mounting legal challenges. The ACLU of Minnesota and other civil rights groups have filed lawsuits seeking to halt what they describe as “suspicionless stops, warrantless arrests, and racial profiling” by federal agents across the Twin Cities.

The operation has drawn further scrutiny following the January 7 fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renée Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, an incident that sparked nationwide protests and a separate lawsuit against DHS.

Despite these criticisms, DHS has doubled down on its portrayal of Minnesota enforcement operations, framing Secretary Noem’s team as the only one willing to remove dangerous offenders from communities. The department has repeatedly characterized Minnesota’s Democratic leaders as enabling “criminal illegal aliens” through sanctuary policies.

When contacted for comment, a DHS spokesperson reiterated the same figures Schnell disputed, stating: “As DHS stated, across the state of Minnesota nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens including violent criminal illegal aliens have been RELEASED into communities.” The spokesperson added, “Governor Walz and Mayor Frey are actively encouraging an organized resistance to ICE and federal law enforcement officers.”

Schnell emphasized that the misleading data appears to be coming from “higher levels” within Homeland Security, and warned that such messaging “undermines trust and disrespects the dedicated professionals who work every day to keep Minnesotans safe.”