| Published July 10, 2025
🗓️ What Happened
Between June 6 and June 11, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), specifically agents from the St. Paul field office, carried out a targeted enforcement sweep in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area. This operation focused exclusively on individuals who were illegally present in the United States and who had prior convictions for sexually exploiting children.
ICE identified and apprehended a total of 11 illegal aliens, most of whom had serious prior convictions for crimes including:
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First-degree sexual assault of a minor
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Lewd and lascivious acts with children under 14
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Soliciting sex from minors
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Third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving minors
According to DHS and ICE, the arrests were made following investigative leads and intelligence gathering that traced the movement, residency, and criminal histories of these offenders. All 11 individuals were living in the community at large, and none had been detained by local authorities despite their records—largely due to Minnesota’s sanctuary-style policies, which restrict local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE detainer requests.
The operation took place in two phases:
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Phase One (June 6): Eight individuals were arrested in separate actions. ICE said these arrests included repeat sex offenders, many of whom had been convicted years prior and had completed their prison sentences but remained in the country unlawfully.
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Phase Two (June 10–11): Three additional illegal aliens were located and taken into custody. These arrests also involved coordination with federal criminal databases and public sex offender registries.
Following the arrests, all 11 men were placed in ICE detention and scheduled for removal proceedings, where immigration judges will review their cases. Some may be deported swiftly under existing orders of removal.
DHS emphasized that the operation was designed to protect public safety, and ICE agents reportedly faced no resistance during the arrests. Officials have described the individuals as “dangerous predators” who posed a continued threat to minors, especially if allowed to remain in communities without supervision,
📋 Breakdown of Those Arrested
Most were Laotian nationals, with two Thai nationals also apprehended:
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June 6 arrests:
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Pao Angelo Vang – 2nd-degree sexual assault of a child
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Thong Lao – 2nd-degree sexual assault of a child
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Tou Pao Lee – soliciting a minor
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Va Vang – 1st-degree sexual assault
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Xiong Pao Vang – lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under 14
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Yee Shae – 1st-degree sexual abuse of a minor
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Yia Xiong – 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct
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Dao Moua – 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct
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June 10–11 arrests:
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Pok Vue – 4th-degree criminal sexual conduct
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Hue Nai Cheng – 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct
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Vang Neng Lao – 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct
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🛡️ Official Statements & Context
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DHS stressed that 70% of ICE arrests target individuals with criminal convictions or pending charges, which included these child‑sex offenders
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Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the perpetrators as “sickos” while criticizing governor Tim Walz and other sanctuary policies that she claimed enabled such offenders to remain at large
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This operation aligns with ongoing initiatives like Operation Predator, aimed at identifying and removing non‑citizen sex offenders from U.S. communities
Resulting Effects:
🏛️ Political & Policy Impact
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The operation intensified scrutiny of Minneapolis’s sanctuary-style “separation ordinance”, which bars local police from cooperating with immigration enforcement. Critics argue this allows dangerous individuals to remain free; supporters say the ordinance protects trust in immigrant communities
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Governor Tim Walz and other sanctuary advocates criticized the raids, calling the tactics overly aggressive and harmful to due process. FEMA, meanwhile, emphasized ICE’s responsibility to remove violent offenders, asserting that 70% of their arrests involve criminals
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Heightened federal pressure led DHS to flag Minneapolis as a jurisdiction “deliberately obstructing” immigration enforcement—opening the door to potential withholding of federal grants
🧑🤝🧑 Community Reaction & Public Sentiment
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The raids galvanized activist response: rallies and protests erupted, with immigrant-rights groups and legal advocates denouncing ICE’s use of federal force and warning of chilling effects on marginalized communities .
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Ongoing efforts by community groups, including legal aid organizations, seek to inform immigrants of their rights and mobilize resistance to deportations .
⚖️ Public Safety & Crime Dynamics
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ICE and federal officials framed the operation as a public safety success, arguing it directly removed convicted child-sex offenders from society
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However, research on sanctuary policies suggests mixed outcomes—most studies indicate these jurisdictions experience similar or slightly lower crime rates, as trust encourages reporting and cooperation with law enforcement
🔥 Ongoing Tensions & National Discourse
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The Minneapolis case is now part of a national showdown over sanctuary policies. Federal authorities are expanding programs like Operation Guardian Angel to bypass local limits—issuing federal warrants for criminal deportees
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City leaders, including Mayor Jacob Frey, have reaffirmed Minneapolis as a “safe haven” for immigrants. This stance continues to draw pushback from federal officials and neighboring conservatives
Bottom Line: Public Safety Must Come Before Politics
The ICE operation in Minneapolis underscores a hard truth: when sanctuary policies protect illegal aliens—even those convicted of sexually abusing children—it’s the most vulnerable who pay the price. Federal agents didn’t arrest peaceful workers or families. They arrested child predators, many of whom had already served prison time yet remained shielded from deportation by local political agendas.
Critics may call it “overreach,” but to many Americans, this is what law enforcement is supposed to look like: identifying threats, enforcing the law, and protecting innocent lives. It shouldn’t take a federal sweep to remove convicted pedophiles from a U.S. city. And yet, that’s exactly what happened—because local officials chose to prioritize ideology over accountability.
If America is serious about protecting its children and upholding justice, we must ask: Who benefits from sanctuary cities—law-abiding citizens, or criminals who exploit the system?
It’s time for leadership that puts safety before sanctuary and citizens before criminal aliens.
