Minnesota AG reportedly said county jails can notify ICE of release dates for certain detainees

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The statement is not 100% exact but close enough for a reasonable person (e.g., claimed 70% vs. actual 65%). Learn more in Methodology.

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directive

County jails notify ICE of release dates for criminal public‑safety risks and ICE takes custody at release as described.

Source summary
White House Border Czar Tom Homan held a press conference in Minneapolis on January 29, 2026, to update immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, saying they will continue to target violent criminals such as killers, rapists, and gang members. Homan described coordination with state and local leaders—including Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison, and Mayor Frey—and said operations will be made more efficient and professional while prioritizing criminal aliens, public-safety, and national-security threats. He also noted that county jails may notify ICE of release dates so ICE can take custody, and that resources may be reduced as violence decreases.
Latest fact check

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s 2025 legal opinion bars state/local officers from detaining people solely on ICE immigration detainers and warns of civil liability. It does not authorize jails to hold people beyond scheduled release, but it does not categorically prohibit jails from notifying federal authorities about scheduled releases; media reporting (and Border Czar Tom Homan’s remark) attributes a later ‘‘clarification’’ of that narrow point to Ellison. The AG’s formal opinion is the authoritative source: it forbids holding people on ICE detainers (contradicting any implication that jails can lawfully detain on ICE request), while allowing that exchange of release information is a distinct practice that some jurisdictions still enable. Verdict: Close — Homan’s paraphrase is partly accurate about ‘‘notification’’ but omits the legal limit Ellison’s opinion places on holding detainees, making the overall impression (that jails can turn people over to ICE upon release without legal risk) misleading without that context.

Timeline

  1. Update · Jan 29, 2026, 11:55 PMClose
    Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s 2025 legal opinion bars state/local officers from detaining people solely on ICE immigration detainers and warns of civil liability. It does not authorize jails to hold people beyond scheduled release, but it does not categorically prohibit jails from notifying federal authorities about scheduled releases; media reporting (and Border Czar Tom Homan’s remark) attributes a later ‘‘clarification’’ of that narrow point to Ellison. The AG’s formal opinion is the authoritative source: it forbids holding people on ICE detainers (contradicting any implication that jails can lawfully detain on ICE request), while allowing that exchange of release information is a distinct practice that some jurisdictions still enable. Verdict: Close — Homan’s paraphrase is partly accurate about ‘‘notification’’ but omits the legal limit Ellison’s opinion places on holding detainees, making the overall impression (that jails can turn people over to ICE upon release without legal risk) misleading without that context.
  2. Original article · Jan 29, 2026

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