Juan Carlos Barreto, a Venezuelan college professor who lives in Shakopee, says Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him in January, held him in federal custody, then flew him to a Texas detention camp where he spent two weeks. He eventually made it back to Minnesota to rejoin his wife and their 14-year-old child, but he remains under court supervision with an ankle monitor while immigration hearings play out. Barreto told reporters the ordeal left him shaken and unsure how his legal status would actually protect him.
According to Barreto, ICE agents broke into his apartment on Jan. 16, kept him locked up for hours without food or water, and pushed him to sign deportation paperwork, treatment he describes as “psychological torture.” He says he was first held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building before being flown to Texas. CBS Minnesota reports that Barreto has no criminal record and that he now faces multiple immigration hearings.
Operation Metro Surge Fallout Hits Home
Barreto’s arrest took place during Operation Metro Surge, a large federal enforcement push in Minnesota that has sparked lawsuits, street protests and pointed questions from state officials. A federal judge recently declined to pause the operation while legal challenges continue, and critics argue the flood of agents has upended daily life for many immigrants in the Twin Cities. Reporting from AP News says the surge brought thousands of federal agents into the state and triggered a formal review of how the operation is affecting local communities.
Barreto Describes the Texas Transfer
Barreto told local reporters he was flown to Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss and held there for 14 days. He describes the conditions as dehumanizing, saying he was kept in shackles on his hands and feet. According to his account, guards and detainees waited long stretches for information, and after his lawyer secured his release, ICE did not provide a flight back to Minnesota. Those details, including Barreto’s direct statement that the detention amounted to “psychological torture,” come from interviews reported by CBS Minnesota.
Camp East Montana Under the Microscope
Camp East Montana itself has been under intense national scrutiny after an outbreak and multiple deaths were reported at the facility, raising serious questions about medical care and oversight. Investigations by AP News and ICE oversight documents have cited dozens of detention standard violations. Amid mounting criticism, federal officials have begun replacing the camp’s contractor, and the reported conditions have fueled calls for stronger oversight.
What Comes Next for Barreto and Others
Barreto now faces a series of immigration hearings while he remains confined to Minnesota by his ankle monitor. He and immigrant advocates say his case highlights broader worries about how large-scale enforcement sweeps treat people who entered the country legally or who have no criminal histories. Local reporters have asked the Department of Homeland Security to explain why certain people, including Barreto, were detained and transferred far from home, but Barreto says he has not received an answer. For now, he is keeping his focus on his family and his next court date as debates over the reach of Operation Metro Surge keep rippling across Twin Cities neighborhoods.
