Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara urged Somali residents and other immigrant communities on Tuesday to call 911 if they see masked individuals detaining people in their neighborhoods, saying the department has received reports that some may be “kidnapping people.”

O’Hara made the remarks during a press conference as questions continue to circulate about expected federal immigration enforcement actions in the Twin Cities, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

“Folks that are masked—when people aren’t sure if they’re law enforcement, or if they may be kidnapping people—we have had those reports,” O’Hara said.

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He told community members, “If you see something like that and you don’t know whether someone is law enforcement, you should call 911 and provide as much information as possible.”

O’Hara said the Minneapolis Police Department would immediately respond to all such calls and document them. He added that officers are being reminded of their responsibility to act if they witness violations during any encounter involving federal authorities.

“If there is anything involving someone’s human rights or civil rights, excessive force or anything like that, they absolutely have a duty to intervene as police officers,” he said.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says that Somalians should call 911 if ICE shows up wearing masks to make arrests.

He says police will “immediately respond” and “intervene.”

Interfering with immigration enforcement is a CRIME. pic.twitter.com/yTY0lFg3Sb

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 2, 2025

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O’Hara referenced a recent Minnesota case in which an individual falsely claimed to be law enforcement, stressing that residents should err on the side of reporting.

He said the department is implementing “additional policy requirements” to document all such incidents when reported.

The comments were made as media reports indicate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing a major operation targeting Somali nationals in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region.

According to sources cited by the far-left New York Times, approximately 100 federal agents have been deployed from around the country for what officials described as “immigration enforcement.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also spoke at the briefing, reaffirming that city policy prohibits MPD from cooperating with ICE in civil immigration enforcement. Frey criticized what local leaders described as a federal “crackdown.”

The reported planning follows recent comments from President Donald Trump, who announced on his Truth Social platform that he was “terminating effective immediately” Temporary Protected Status for Somali immigrants in Minnesota.

Federal law and Department of Homeland Security policy still list Somalia’s TPS designation as authorized through March 17, 2026. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says that as of March 31, 705 Somali nationals nationwide hold TPS status.

In recent days, President Trump has intensified criticism of Somali Americans in Minnesota, saying “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State” and alleging that Minnesota has become “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”

On Tuesday, the president referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage” who should “go back to where they came from,” adding, “I don’t want them in our country.”

During his final Cabinet meeting of the year, President Trump also addressed the $1 billion fraud scandal centered around Minnesota’s Somali community, saying Democrats allowed the scheme to occur and noting the GOP-led Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation.

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