On Congresswoman Omar’s Field Hearing on Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota on 1/16/26

On January 16, Congresswoman Omar and Congresswoman Jayapal held a Field Hearing at the MN State Capitol, titled: “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota,”. This was the 6th hearing in the “Kidnapped and Disappeared” series; 28 members of Congress from 18 states across the state were in attendance, the largest number since the series began last summer.

I was in the audience as a Commissioner along with many other elected and community leaders. This hearing was very important to ensure a proper record of ICE and Federal actions in Minnesota and to document the recent escalation of unlawful tactics.

On the Series of Hearings

The first and second hearing were titled: "Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump's Lawless Third Country Disappearances" held on June 6, 2025. It was a deeper dive into the cases of those lawlessly kidnapped and disappeared to third countries like El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, South Sudan, and Libya.

The third hearing was titled: "Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump's Assault Destroys U.S. Families and Communities" held on Sept. 18, 2025. It examined the human costs of deportation on U.S. families and communities and increased family separations and the detention of over 400 children.

The fourth hearing was titled: "Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Assault on Chicago" held on Oct. 24, 2025. This hearing took place in Chicago and the Trump administration is going to war with its own citizens, unleashing a high level of violence and inhumanity.

The Fifth hearing: "Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Detention Abuses" held on Dec. 5, 2025. Focused on abuses within detention facilities and how 73% of people held in ICE detention have no criminal conviction and the vast majority of the remaining 27% have minor convictions such as traffic violations.

The sixth hearing: "Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump's Deadly Assault on Minnesota" held on Jan. 16, 2026. This hearing took place in St. Paul, MN, It focused on “Operation Metro Surge," following the killing of Renee Nicole Good by federal agents.

On the Minnesota Hearing

This was the largest hearing in the series. The following representatives were in attendance: U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-05), U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), U.S. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), U.S. House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu (CA-36), U.S. Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL), U.S. Representative Angie Craig (MN-02), U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar (TX-16), U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), U.S. Representative Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04), U.S. Representative Glenn Ivey (MD-04), U.S. Representative Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), U.S. Representative Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), U.S. Representative April McClain Delaney (MD-06), U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (MN-04), U.S. Representative Rob Menendez (NJ-08), U.S. Representative Dave Min (CA-47), U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (WI-04), U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03), U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (ME-01), U.S. Representative Emily Randall (WA-06), U.S. Representative Luz Rivas (CA-29), U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and U.S. Representative James Walkinshaw (VA-11). 

Many elected officials and community members gave testimony to the unlawful and violent behavior by federal agents in our state, including MN Attorney General Keith Ellison; Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey; St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her; Deepinder Mayell, Executive Director of ACLU of Minnesota; Patty, a community member; Mubashir, a community member; Emilia González Avalos, Executive Director of Unidos MN; Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations; and Kelly McCarthy, Chief of Police of the Mendota Heights Police Department.

Gratitude

I’m very grateful to Representative Ilhan Omar for bringing this series of hearings to our state. Minnesota is experiencing the largest “immigration enforcement” operation this country has ever seen. By elevating the voices of community members most impacted who are able to tell us harrowing stories, this hearing documented the crimes of this federal administration and ensured we have testimony on record for when the time for justice is upon us.

I’m also incredibly grateful for the community members who stepped up to tell the stories of their neighbors and communities. It can be dangerous to speak out, and their courage must be celebrated.