Minneapolis, MN
University of Minnesota says graduate student was detained by ICE
A graduate student at the University of Minnesota was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Thursday at an off-campus residence, the school said in a statement.
Friday’s statement — signed by President Rebecca Cunningham, Vice President for Student Affairs Calvin Phillips and Vice President for Equity and Diversity Mercedes Ramírez Fernández — called the situation “deeply concerning.” The international student is enrolled in the Twin Cities campus, the school said.
The university said it did not have further information or more details on the situation. It also said it had no prior knowledge that the detention was happening and did not share any information with federal agents beforehand.
The school did not release the student’s name. The student’s nationality and visa type and status were unavailable.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment Saturday evening.
“It is important to note that our campus departments of public safety, including UMPD, do not enforce federal immigration laws, and our officers do not inquire about an individual’s immigration status,” the UMN statement said. “Their focus remains on public safety, fostering trust and maintaining strong relationships across the University community.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Friday that he had been in touch with DHS to get information, and added that he would share more when he could.
“The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research. We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers,” Walz said on X.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the student’s detainment “deeply troubling” in a post on X.
“Educational environments must be places where all students can focus on learning and growing without fear,” Frey said.
This latest arrest comes on the heels of other arrests of international students at American universities.
Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University who led student protests at the New York school last spring, was arrested by federal immigration agents earlier this month and was told his student visa was being revoked.
Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was accused of supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. A lawyer of his rejected the claim, saying there is no evidence Khalil provided support of any kind to a terrorist organization.
Khalil is being held in federal custody in Louisiana after U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman ruled he cannot be deported “to preserve the court’s jurisdiction” as it weighs a filing challenging his arrest and planned deportation.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University who is a Turkish national in the U.S. on what her attorney said was a valid student visa, was similarly arrested by federal immigration agents Tuesday and is also being held in Louisiana. Her arrest was caught on video, with Ozturk’s lawyer saying she was on her way to meet friends for iftar, a meal that breaks the day-time fast observed by Muslims during Ramadan, when she was arrested.
A court order Friday blocked Ozturk’s deportation while U.S. District Judge Denise Casper determines whether she has jurisdiction over the case.
An Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama, Alireza Doroudi, and a Russian medical researcher at Harvard University, Kseniia Petrova, were both detained by immigration agents this week as well.
Minneapolis, MN
Convicted sex offender on probation charged in Bloomington rape
Convicted rapist plea deals allow repeat offenses
A two-time convicted rapist out on probation is back in jail after a judge sentenced a Minneapolis man in May, but he got credit for time served, so he never went to prison. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni has the details that were the result of a pair of plea deals.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A two-time convicted sex offender on probation kidnapped and raped a woman at a hotel in Bloomington in September, according to court documents.
Convicted sex offender kidnapped, raped woman he met on Snapchat: charges
The allegations:
According to court records, Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, 28, of Minneapolis, kidnapped and raped a woman he met on Snapchat.
Mohamed picked up the woman at her home in Mankato in September, then drove her to a hotel in Bloomington, where he held her against her will for several days and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
The victim told investigators that Mohamed told her, “You’re not going home,” after she got into his car, according to court documents.
She also told investigators that Mohamed took her phone and told her, “You’re not leaving,” when she tried to escape.
On Sept. 21, nearly a week after her kidnapping, the “very distraught and shaken up” victim jumped out of Mohamed’s car on Aldrich Avenue South in Minneapolis, where a resident called police.
Suspect convicted of two previous sexual assaults in Minneapolis
The previous cases:
The September incident happened less than four months after he was sentenced in two unrelated sexual assault cases, including one that involved a 15-year-old girl.
In May 2024, Mohamed was arrested and charged after prosecutors said he raped a woman he met on Snapchat at his apartment in Minneapolis.
In that case, the victim told a paramedic that she had been strangled and raped.
Mohamed threatened to shoot the victim unless she had sex with him, prosecutors said.
According to court records, a witness heard arguing and walked into a bedroom to find Mohamed on top of the victim. He threatened to kill the witness, prosecutors said.
In October 2024, he was charged in another rape that prosecutors said happened in December 2017.
DNA collected after his arrest in 2024 linked him to the 2017 case that involved a 15-year-old girl.
According to court records, Mohamed met the girl on Snapchat and picked her up in St. Paul. He drove her to Minneapolis, where two men got into the car, prosecutors said. One of the men pointed a handgun at the victim and forced her to perform oral sex on another man in the car before Mohamed got in the backseat and raped her, documents said.
Suspect struck plea deals, avoided prison time
The sentences:
In May, a Hennepin County judge sentenced Mohamed in the two rape cases. But under the terms of a plea agreement, he served no prison time.
For the 2017 sexual assault that involved a minor, he was sentenced to three years in prison, but the sentence was stayed for five years, meaning he did not serve prison time. He was sentenced to 364 days in the Hennepin County workhouse but received credit for time served. In addition, he was sentenced to five years of probation.
For the 2024 sexual assault, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison, but that sentence was also stayed, meaning he never went to prison. He was also sentenced – and received credit for time served – to 364 days in the Hennepin County workhouse. In addition, he was sentenced to a day of probation.
The response:
When reached via email on Monday for comment, a spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the cases, said he was “checking in with staff.”
Minneapolis, MN
Snow emergencies declared in Minneapolis, St. Paul after weekend storm
Several communities across the Twin Cities are under a snow emergency on Sunday following a Thanksgiving weekend storm that dumped several inches on parts of Minnesota.
The National Weather Service reports 4.7 inches of snow fell at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, though there was a range of 3-6 inches of accumulation reported across the metro.
Snow emergency rules can be confusing, and can lead to pricey tickets and unwelcomed trips to the impound lot. So let’s break down the protocols in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Minneapolis rules
Starting at 9 p.m. on Sunday, you can’t park on either side of the street on snow emergency routes.
Starting Monday at 8 a.m., you can’t park on the even side of the street for any non-emergency snow routes.
Then starting Tuesday at 8 a.m., don’t park on the odd side of the street through Tuesday at 8 a.m.
The city said it is no longer using its snow emergency app, but notifications are sent out in the Minneapolis parking app. You can also register your information to receive alerts here.
St. Paul rules
In the capital city, it’s a bit more complicated. Snow emergencies go by day and night plow routes.
Starting at 9 p.m. on Sunday, parking is prohibited on all “night plow route” streets, which includes all of downtown.
Then starting at 8 a.m. Monday, don’t park on “day plow route” streets.
St. Paul’s snow emergency lasts until Thursday at 9 p.m. The city’s website also has an interactive map that you can check out to help you know where to park.
New Hope and Plymouth are also under snow emergencies, with parking prohibited on all city streets in both communities.
Click here for more information on snow emergencies and closings.
Minneapolis, MN
Man’s leg severed in Minneapolis crash
A man’s leg was amputated after a crash in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon.
Minneapolis police say they were called to Tenth Street South and Park Avenue around 2 p.m. after a report of a crash.
An initial investigation indicates a man was unloading a trailer when a car hit him, pinning him against a fence and causing his leg to be severed, a spokesperson for the police said.
Investigators are working to determine what led up to the crash. No arrests have been made and no citations have been issued at this time, Minneapolis police say.
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