What we covered here
• Preschooler taken by ICE: A 5-year-old has become one of the latest children caught up in the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign after he and his father were taken by federal agents outside their Minneapolis-area home. The family’s attorney says they were pursuing an asylum claim.
• Vance in Minneapolis: Vice President JD Vance blamed the federal presence in the city on local officials. He also acknowledged the need for investigations into the Renee Good shooting and other incidents where agents are accused of wrongdoing.
• Crackdown widens: Maine, which is home to a sizable Somali population, is the latest target of the administration’s turbocharged, nationwide immigration crackdown. ICE has arrested more than 100 people there this week, DHS said.
Our live coverage of the immigration crackdown has moved here.
Prosecutors "didn't really have a handle on the facts," attorney for two church protesters says
Federal prosecutors who brought charges against three protesters who interrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, “didn’t really have a handle on the facts” in court Thursday, an attorney for two of the protesters told CNN.
Chauntyll Allen and William Scott Kelly are among the three people charged with a count of conspiracy to deprive rights. If convicted, they face up to ten years in prison.
But during a hearing Thursday, the prosecutors appeared to lack an understanding of the facts of the case, James Cook, an attorney for Allen and Kelly, told CNN’s Laura Coates.
“When they came in they seemed like they were completely unprepared,” Allen said.
Cook said he felt the prosecutors “weren’t quite sure how the conspiracy portion, how the conspiracy to deny rights, (was) in violation of the act.”
When asked why he believes his clients were charged so quickly, Cook said Allen and Kelly are high profile activists with large platforms.
“Miss Allen – she’s a school board member – very outspoken critic of the administration,” Cook said.
Kelly is also very outspoken, anti-establishment, and has a large following online, Cook said.
Mother of 5-year-old taken by ICE is terrified, pastor says
When 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken by federal immigration officers after arriving home from preschool on Tuesday, his mother reached out to Minneapolis pastor Sergio Amezcua for help.
“I spoke to her a few times, and she was terrified,” Amezcua told CNN’s Laura Coates Thursday.
Liam was with his father in the driveway of their home when ICE agents moved into arrest the father, Homeland Security officials said. Agents tried to get Liam’s mother, who was inside the house, to open the door before they took her husband and Liam, DHS said.
“ICE agents were trying to use the baby to get her to come out of her house, but the neighbors … advised her not to do it,” fearing she would be detained, Amezuca said, noting she is pregnant and also has a teenage son.
The father and Liam are now being held together at a detention facility in Texas. Their attorney says they are in the US legally after applying for asylum in December 2024.
Since ICE agents began sweeping through Minneapolis conducting immigration arrests, Amezcua has volunteered to deliver meals to families too scared to venture outside due to the increased federal agent presence.
“I talked to the mother about five in the morning after he was taken,” Amezcua told CNN’s Omar Jimenez, who rode along with him as he delivered meals.
While the mother is not a member of his congregation, Amezcua told CNN she reached out because she knew of his volunteer work. Amezcua told CNN there are “a lot of community leaders” working to get Liam back and for now they’re helping “keep an eye” on the mother.
ICE agents can now enter homes without judge’s warrant. Here's what that means
A new memo obtained by the Associated Press says ICE agents can enter people’s homes without a warrant signed by a judge, allowing agents to exercise sweeping new powers. It’s a move, CNN’s Josh Campbell reports, that can potentially ramp up already tense interactions between the public and immigration officers.
A new memo obtained by the Associated Press says ICE agents can enter people’s homes without a warrant signed by a judge, allowing agents to exercise sweeping new powers. It’s a move, CNN’s Josh Campbell reports, that can potentially ramp up already tense interactions between the public and immigration officers.
ICE makes more than 100 arrests in Maine in first three days of immigration operation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made more than 100 arrests in Maine since launching its enforcement operation in the state on Tuesday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Some of the arrests of the worst of the worst from the first day of operations include criminal illegal aliens charged and convicted of horrific crimes,” Assistant Secretary of DHS Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to CNN.
The agency recently launched a website highlighting the “worst of the worst criminal aliens” arrested by ICE amid the administration’s aggressive push to carry out mass deportations.
Lawyer for 5-year-old taken by ICE pushes back on Vance’s comments
The attorney for 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were taken by federal agents this week, said the two were “not eluding ICE in any way.” He also pushed back on Vice President JD Vance’s comment that agents were arresting an “illegal alien.”
The attorney for 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were taken by federal agents earlier this week, said the two were “not eluding ICE in any way.” He also pushed back on Vice President JD Vance’s comment that ICE agents were arresting an “illegal alien.”
Man identified as corrections officer recruit in Portland, Maine, taken into ICE custody, video shows
Video credit: Ben Bozeman
A man identified as a corrections officer recruit in Portland, Maine, was taken into custody by federal officers despite his “squeaky clean” record, Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said Thursday.
Social media shared with CNN shows the man say, “I’m a corrections officer,” as agents restrain him next to his car.
Ben Bozeman, who took the video of the incident, told CNN that the man was pulled over by an unmarked vehicle.
Joyce said the recruit, who has not been identified, turned in appropriate documentation showing he was legally allowed to work in the US until April 2029, and passed the department’s “rigorous” hiring process.
“This individual’s background revealed no disqualifying conduct or no disqualifying convictions,” the sheriff said.
Yet, Joyce said he was told by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that the recruit was in the country illegally.
CNN reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Joyce described seeing a video showing the recruit was detained by several federal agents.
It was not immediately clear if the man is still in federal custody. CNN has reached out to Joyce to confirm.
After the recruit was handcuffed, Joyce said, the federal agents left his vehicle on the road with the windows down and the lights on.
“That’s bush league policing,” Joyce said.
The sheriff said what’s going on in the streets of Portland is a far cry from what Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, told sheriffs were the priorities of ICE and Customs and Border Protection in early 2025: To secure the border and to get criminals off the street.
Democratic Mayors Association launches legal fund to support Minneapolis mayor amid DOJ probe
The Democratic Mayors Association launched today a legal fund to support Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey amid the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into his alleged conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents.
“Instead of working with our Mayors, Trump has weaponized the government against them and our cities,” the coalition said in a statement.
The association called the investigation “baseless” and “politically motivated.”
“The Department of Justice’s decision to investigate Mayor Frey is transparently political and we are launching this legal fund to ensure he has the resources needed,” the statement continued.
Frey is being investigated alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“We’re heading to a point that can be very explosive,” Minneapolis police chief says
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara was previously concerned that the presence of federal officers in the city would lead to tragedy, and that “already passed” with the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
“My concern is that we’re heading to a point that can be very explosive,” the chief told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
He added that, while he was unsure of federal officers’ policies and training, they are not following the same protocols as local law enforcement.
“We expect federal law enforcement to be doing their jobs lawfully and professionally to the same level of service that we demand of our officers here,” the chief said.
Local authorities have worked to rebuild trust with the community following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis officer, the chief said.
“They worked very, very hard to change the relationship with the community and the concern is that what is happening here today is jeopardizing their hard work,” O’Hara said.
Acting ICE director promises more arrests in St. Paul church protest
More arrests are expected in the coming days in connection with Sunday’s church protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to acting ICE director Todd Lyons.
“We’re taking this very seriously, and there are going to be more arrests that come out of this,” Lyons told FOX News’ Laura Ingraham today.
So far, federal authorities have arrested three people after a protest that interrupted a church service to object to a pastor who appears to serve as a top ICE official.
“President Trump made it clear that under his administration, these anarchists, these domestic terrorists, won’t disrupt law and order, and especially won’t disrupt a house of worship,” Lyons added.
Sex offender DHS has been searching for is already in custody, Minnesota corrections chief says
Paul Schnell, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, told CNN on Thursday one of the sex offenders who ICE said it was looking for at the home of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a US citizen dragged from his St. Paul home by ICE on Sunday, has been in his custody.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Thao of living with two convicted sex offenders, the targets of the operation, and claimed both were still at large.
But in reality, Schnell said, one of those sex offenders is already in prison.
Thao’s sister-in-law, Louansee Moua, also said the information was incorrect and that Thao lived only with his daughter-in-law, son and grandson, while the family maintains they have no connection to the wanted individuals.
“Neither individual has ever lived with ChongLy Scott Thao or his family, nor are they associated with his address—past or present,” Thao’s family said in a statement.
Public records show that between 2021 and 2022, the man lived at the same address where Thao was detained.
DHS has also publicly claimed there are more than 1,360 individuals with ICE detainers in Minnesota custody, Schnell said in during news conference earlier Thursday.
In response, Minnesota conducted a point-in-time survey of county jails, finding a total 301 individuals with ICE detainers — nowhere close to the federal figure, according to Schnell.
Nekima Levy Armstrong was not crying during arrest, lawyer says in response to fake photo
Nekima Levy Armstrong was not crying at any time during her arrest after being charged for her involvement in the St. Paul church protest, her lawyer Jordan Kushner said, as he condemned the fake image posted by the official White House account depicting the civil rights attorney sobbing.
Levy Armstrong, who was one of three protesters arrested on charges of conspiracy to deprive rights, was “dignified, calm and rational” during her arrest, Kushner told CNN’s Erin Burnett. “I observed the whole thing,” he added.
One of the federal agents was recording the arrest on a cell phone, Kushner said, calling it “despicable” and “unprofessional.” The attorney claimed the intention behind that alleged move was to “make a spectacle out of it when it’s supposed to be a legal process, not a political circus, which they made it,” referring to the Trump administration.
CNN has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment on allegations that a federal agent recorded the arrest on a cell phone.
Nekima Levy Armstrong is a Christian reverend who engaged in “religious protest,” attorney says
Nekima Levy Armstrong is a Christian reverend who was among a group of Christian protesters speaking out against a pastor of the St. Paul church who also appears to serve as a top ICE official in the Twin Cities, her attorney Jordan Kushner said.
Armstrong was one of three protesters, including Chauntyll Allen and William Kelly, who were arrested on charges of conspiracy to deprive rights, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The charges are based on accusations the protesters prevented church-goers from engaging in religious worship, said Kushner.
“They went there to express their opinion about what this church was doing and why it was wrong to hire a high-level ICE official as a pastor of the church – someone who’s overseeing all kinds of human rights violations on a daily basis,” Kushner told CNN’s Erin Burnett, referring to the federal crackdown on immigration in Minnesota. “That person shouldn’t be a pastor.”
Nekima Levy Armstrong will remain in custody overnight, attorney says
Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of three people arrested after protesting inside a St. Paul church, will remain in custody overnight after the federal government appealed a magistrate judge’s order today to release her, according to her attorney, Jordan Kushner.
“Unfortunately, she’s stuck there for tonight because the court is closed,” Kushner told CNN’s Erin Burnett about his client, adding Chauntyll Allen – another protester who was arrested – also remains in custody as a higher judge considers the case. “Hopefully, (Levy Armstrong) and her codefendant Chauntyll Allen can get out tomorrow.”
Kushner said he’s “very confident” Levy Armstrong will prevail in her case, saying the charges against her and the two other protesters, which include William Kelly, have no merit. The three people were charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
School board chair says she witnessed moment ICE took Minneapolis man and his young son
Mary Granlund, Columbia Heights Public School District school board chair, told CNN’s Sara Sidner what she witnessed when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took a Minnesota man and his 5-year-old son earlier this week.
“So, I was on my way to get my own children from school when I heard the commotion and saw the people,” Granlund said. She said she got out of her car and heard people saying, “What are you doing, don’t take the child.”
Other people, including an adult who lived at the family’s home, offered to take in preschooler Liam Conejo Ramos, according to Granlund.
“There was ample opportunity to be able to safely hand that child off to adults and mom was there,” she said.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a social media post that their officers “made multiple attempts to get the mother inside the house to take custody of her child. Officers even assured her that they would NOT take her into custody. She refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him.”
Asked by CNN if she is accusing ICE of using children as bait, Granlund said, “Yes. I mean that is very clear from the pictures, from the videos, from first-hand accounts. I was there. This is what happened.”
DHS said in the statement the child’s safety and welfare were the agents’ “primary concern during the entire operation.”
“Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates,” DHS added.
School officials call for “peaceful resolution” after children “taken away” by federal agents
School officials in the Minneapolis neighborhood where a father and son were taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are calling for a “peaceful resolution” following the incident.
Four students in the school district have recently been taken by federal agents, said Zena Stenvik, the superintendent of the Columbia Heights Public Schools district.
“The onslaught of ICE activity in our community is inducing trauma and is taking a toll on our children, taking a toll on our families, our staff, our community members,” Stenvik said. “This surge has changed nearly everything about our daily lives.”
“I’m requesting that we find a peaceful resolution out of the situation, diplomatic and peaceful,” she added.
Mary Granlund, Columbia Heights’ school board chair, echoed that sentiment,
“Our schools and communities must be safe places for children and families to thrive, and we need a diplomatic pathway out of this situation,” Granlund said. “We need your help, because at the end of the day, we have whistles and they have guns.”
Attorney of Minnesota man and young boy taken by ICE says he’s looking at legal options to bring them home
The attorney of a Minnesota man and his son who were taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents earlier this week said he is looking at legal options to bring them home from a detention center in Texas.
Minneapolis mayor calls church protester arrest “a gross abuse of power”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong — an activist who recently led protesters to interrupt a church service — “a gross abuse of power.”
“She should immediately be released,” he said of Armstrong.
Some context: Over the weekend, dozens of people rushed into Cities Church in St. Paul, interrupting the church service and leading to tense confrontations, videos posted by activists and content creators show. The demonstrators said they were there to protest David Easterwood, who is listed as a pastor at the church and appears to be the same David Easterwood who is a top ICE official in the Twin Cities.
Armstrong, who is a former president of the local NAACP chapter, was one of the organizers of the protest and has been arrested.
CNN’s Andy Rose and Elise Hammond contributed reporting.
Minneapolis mayor says he believes ICE in city is based on racial discrimination
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he believes racism is behind the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Clearly what we are seeing on our streets right now is discriminating only on the basis of race and largely indiscriminate thereafter,” he said at a news conference this evening.
He accused ICE of being more focused on “political retaliation” and “terrorizing people” rather than maintaining safety and even immigration, adding that he too wants “to solve crime” and “arrest murderers.”
“This is not that,” he asserted.
5-year-old taken by federal agents is “a wonderful child” missed by teacher and classmates
Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, said 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who was taken by federal agents with his father, has been described by his teacher as “a wonderful child.”
“We (had) the opportunity to talk to his preschool teacher yesterday, and she said he was just a wonderful child, a great student, that she and the classmates miss him,” Stenvik said.
She also described her impression of the family’s home: “When I walked into the house, immediately to the left, there was a huge teddy bear and lots of things available for children to play with, things that you would expect to see. So that really struck me and caught my eye when we walked in.”
