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Minneapolis Native Community press conference today, as Native people organize in the Little Earth community, following illegal arrests of Red Lake Ojibwe and Oglala Lakotas by ICE during migrant sweeps in Minneapolis. Photo: Screen capture Censored News.
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ICE Brutally Arresting Native Americans in Minneapolis
"The real power is with the people, and with our connection to each other, and to the earth -- and that's what they are scared of." Rachel Dionne-Thunder.
By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Jan. 9, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS -- In a horrifying arrest, ICE punched Jose 'Beto' Roberto Ramirez, Red Lake Chippewa, and dragged him from his vehicle. As Ramirez was complying, ICE hit him, as his aunt was screaming for help.
Shawntia Sosa-Clara told her nephew to let the agents scan his face before an agent hit Ramirez. "Why did you hit him?" The video shows the ICE agent repeatedly punching Ramirez as Sosa-Clara screams.
“We just got swarmed up on and blocked in, and about 20 ICE agents came after us, and that’s when I started recording,” his aunt, Shawntia Sosa-Clara, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “As they were scanning his face, another agent came and punched him, and they just started hitting him,” she said.
Minneapolis police officers were present but refused to step in and help. "Police can you help us?" Sosa-Clara begged. "We're citizens!"
When Ramirez’s mother, Raelyn Duffy, a member of the Red Lake Nation, heard her son had been arrested, she immediately brought his documents to the Whipple Federal Building -- but was turned away and unable to reach her son for several hours.
Duffy said agents said her son “wasn’t from here." Sosa-Clara said that while Ramirez was in custody, agents taunted him and threatened his family: “They’re saying, ‘You’re gonna see your family, some of your cousins in here.”
"We're U.S. citizens," she screamed. ICE was following Ramirez before the brutal arrest.
Oglala Lakota President Frank Star Comes Out said four Oglala Lakota were arrested this week, as 2,000 ICE and federal agents swarmed Minneapolis.
ICE agents shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a legal observer and mother of three, on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
| Little Earth community prevents Rachel Dionne-Thunder from being arrested today.
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 | | Sam Strong, Red Lake Chippewa Nation Secretary, speaks at the press conference today in Minneapolis. |
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Sam Strong, Red Lake Chippewa Nation Secretary, said during a press conference today that Red Lake Chippewa Nation has 8,000 members living in Minneapolis.
"We are going to protect each and every one of them, including our descendants," Strong said today. "We are going to defend our people, and we are going to stand up for all of Minneapolis, all of Minnesota."
Rachel Dionne-Thunder described how ICE targeted her today. ICE was at her vehicle window today and demanded that she roll her window down, unlock her door, and show her ID.
"I was not going to do any of those things. They were ready to break my window with a window breaker, and that is the moment that community arrived on the scene."
"ICE returned to their vehicle and left me alone when they saw that power of our people," she said, describing how the community prevented this from escalating.
Native people are being arrested, and carrying IDs does not guarantee safety, she said. These "goons on our streets, our land" need to leave immediately and not come back.
"We will not allow our people to be threatened or taken."
She said organizing to protect their communities is not new for Native people, they have always done this to survive.
"We resist and we endure."
She stressed that you do not have to open your door, you do not have to speak to them, and you have a right to an attorney. You can record them. "They cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant."
"Knowing your rights is power," she said, and encouraged everyone to stay in prayer, stay grounded, and look out for one another.
"Our children cannot go to school," she said, describing how community members are living in fear.
"Our strength is collective. We protect each other when we stand together."
These institutions operate with a false sense of power.
"The real power is with the people, and with our connection to each other, and to the earth -- and that's what they are scared of," Dionne-Thunder said during today's press conference.
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Rachel Dionne-Thunder said today, "ICE just tried to arrest me on Franklin Ave."Dionne-Thunder, founder of the Indigenous Peoples Movement, shared a video of how ICE attempted to arrest her as she sat in her vehicle near the Powwow Grounds in Little Earth, where many Native Americans live.
"While observing ICE activity, agents approached my vehicle and demanded that I roll my window down. I did not consent. They escalated quickly and began threatening to break my window," she said on social media.
"What stopped that from happening was community."
"People immediately surrounded my vehicle. My husband and others showed up fast, stayed calm, and held the line. Once there were witnesses and numbers, ICE backed off and left."
"This is how quickly things can turn. This is how unsafe it is right now. And this is why no one should be out here alone."
Dionne-Thunder said if you are observing, patrolling, or moving through areas where ICE activity is happening: Go with others; Stay alert; Trust your instincts; Leave if things feel off.
"Your safety matters more than documentation. No video, no proof, no 'showing up' is worth your life. Please be careful out there. Take care of each other," Dionne-Thunder said.
COMMUNITY ALERT, CALL FOR SUPPORT
"Powwow Grounds on Franklin Avenue is now being activated as a community headquarters for ICE patrol observation, rapid response coordination, and community support in South Minneapolis.
"This activation is a collaboration between Indigenous Protector Movement (IPM), Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI), and Powwow Grounds, coming together to support our relatives during ongoing ICE activity in our neighborhoods.
"We are mobilizing to ensure our community has a place to gather, organize, rest, and receive support. This space will serve as a staging area for observers, volunteers, and community members responding in real time.
"We are also operating a Signal chat for rapid response coordination, sharing real-time updates, patrol locations, and immediate support needs. If you are able to participate in observation, documentation, or support efforts, this is our primary communication channel."
Continue reading:
Statement of Oglala Lakota President Frank Star Comes Out, Pine Ridge, South Dakota
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Statement
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