Federal Agents Face Scrutiny Over Detention of US Citizens

The escalation follows an incident in Minneapolis where a Somali-born citizen, identified as Mubashir, was tackled and handcuffed by immigration agents while walking in his neighborhood. Despite offering a REAL ID, he was detained for nearly 20 minutes and later forced to walk seven miles home during a severe snowstorm. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara publicly apologized for the conduct of those wearing police-marked vests, labeling the event an embarrassment to the city.

Legal experts maintain that no federal law requires citizens to carry proof of status. Richard Boswell, a law professor at the University of California, noted that government officers lack authority to question individuals about citizenship without reasonable suspicion of unlawful presence. Nevertheless, Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino recently asserted on social media that the Immigration and Nationality Act mandates carrying immigration documents, a claim critics dismiss as a fundamental misinterpretation of the law.

This tension is compounded by internal policy shifts within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). In a court declaration regarding workplace raids, HSI officials argued that a REAL ID is insufficient to prove citizenship, effectively justifying the detention of individuals even after they provide government-issued identification. Aaron Reichlin Melnick of the American Immigration Council described this stance as a chilling admission that federal agencies believe they can hold citizens in handcuffs while running biometric checks. While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem continues to deny that citizens are being detained, reports indicate that at least 170 Americans have faced such encounters, often involving physical force.