Saturday August 30, 2025
Omar Jamal, a longtime Somali American community activist in Minnesota, is taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. Jamal, who has been a prominent and sometimes polarizing figure in Somali civic life, is being held at the Freeborn County jail in Albert Lea.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (HOL) — Omar Jamal, a longtime Somali American community advocate, was detained Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in downtown Minneapolis, according to his attorney and federal officials.
Jamal, 52, is being held at the Freeborn County jail in Albert Lea, which houses federal immigration detainees. ICE has not disclosed the reasons for his detention, and officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Court records show Jamal was convicted of immigration fraud in Tennessee in 2005 and sentenced to one year of probation. He was referred to federal immigration authorities for deportation, but remained in the United States after his appeal was denied. The Department of Homeland Security said Jamal was issued a final order of removal in 2011, though it was never carried out. His current immigration status is unclear.
DHS officials alleged Jamal’s history includes other criminal offenses, but those claims could not be independently verified Friday. His attorney, Abdiqani Jabane, disputed that characterization, describing Jamal as “a respected Somali American civic leader” and pledging to challenge the detention. “Mr. Jamal has devoted years to serving Minnesota’s Somali American community and building trust with law enforcement. We will pursue all lawful remedies to protect his rights and secure his release,” Jabane said.
Jamal arrived in the United States more than two decades ago as a refugee fleeing Somalia’s famine and civil war. In Minnesota, he became executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center, a nonprofit that assisted immigrants navigating legal challenges, and later gained recognition as a frequent commentator on issues involving Somali Americans.
In 2020, Jamal joined the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office as a civilian community service officer. The department confirmed his role Friday, saying he “has played an integral part in helping us liaison with Minnesota’s Somali community, which has the largest Somali population in the United States.”
Jamal’s detention has unsettled many Somali Americans in Minnesota, where he has long been a visible, and at times polarizing, figure in civic life.
