After release from ICE custody, Omar Jamal expects no deportation, praises humane jail conditions

Somali Activist Omar Jamal Freed From ICE Custody in Minnesota, Says He’s Confident He Won’t Be Deported

MINNEAPOLIS — Somali community advocate Omar Jamal walked out of a southern Minnesota jail this week after a month in federal custody and used his first public appearance to do something unusual in a high-stakes immigration case: praise the jail that held him.

“What I have seen is people doing their job with professionalism in a humane way,” Jamal told reporters in Albert Lea, standing beside Freeborn County Sheriff Ryan Shea. “We had access to medical care, lawyers, recreation, and religious practice.”

The remarks came as Jamal, 52, addressed swirling social media claims about poor treatment of detainees at the Freeborn County Jail. He rejected those allegations and described his brief detention as “a system at work.”

What happened

Jamal was arrested on August 29 outside the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, an unexpected turn for a figure long known in Minnesota’s Somali diaspora and beyond for his commentary on policing, security and immigration policy. His attorney, Nico Ratkowski, said the arrest stemmed from a case nearly two decades old, not new allegations. Jamal was released on September 29 under a settlement agreement that is still being reviewed.

• Arrest: August 29 in Minneapolis on a long-running immigration case
• Detention: Held at Freeborn County Jail for about one month
• Release: September 29 under a negotiated agreement
• Status: Jamal says he’s confident he won’t be deported; the agreement remains under review

A case with a long tail

The outlines of Jamal’s legal saga reflect the complicated pathways of U.S. immigration law, especially for refugees and asylum seekers whose lives were remade by conflict. Court records show that a 2003 federal indictment accused him of failing to disclose an earlier refugee claim in Canada when he sought asylum in the United States. He was convicted of immigration fraud in Tennessee in 2005 and received probation. A federal immigration judge issued a final removal order in 2011, but Jamal successfully argued that deportation to Somalia could imperil his safety.

With Canada declining to accept him, Jamal was released years ago under an order of supervision — a common step in cases where deportation is complicated or considered unsafe. That meant regular check-ins with ICE and strict compliance. “The law is working,” Jamal said Friday, adding that agents told him during his arrest he might be sent to Canada, a claim he says he faced calmly. “As of today, I’m back to work and continuing community engagement.”

Inside the jail: praise amid scrutiny

Jamal’s measured tone stood out. County jails that contract with ICE often come under fire from advocates who say conditions are inconsistent and oversight thin. Sheriff Shea pushed back on those narratives and said Jamal had contacted him after reporters began calling about alleged abuse.

“While we don’t offer a lavish living environment, we provide medical care, meals, and recreational activities,” Shea said. Jamal described reading in the library, playing soccer in the yard and joining faith gatherings. He singled out Jail Administrator Mike Stasko for what he called “ethical and compassionate leadership.”

In an era when the voices of detainees are often heard only through lawyers’ filings and court transcripts, Jamal’s public endorsement of jail staff was striking — and certain to spark debate. In many corners, the larger question remains: should civil immigration detention be housed in county jails designed for criminal incarceration at all?

Contested claims and a public figure’s complicated past

ICE has previously cited Jamal’s 2005 conviction and alleged additional charges, including assault and fraud. Jamal denied those claims bluntly. “I don’t know anything about two frauds or assault — that’s something we’re looking into,” he said. ICE did not immediately provide further specifics Friday.

For years, Jamal has been a polarizing voice in Minnesota’s Somali community — at times a go-to source for media on counterterrorism and policing, at other times a lightning rod. He once led the Somali Justice Advocacy Center and has appeared in stories that ricocheted far beyond Minnesota, including a 2020 Project Veritas video he later distanced himself from. To supporters, he is tireless and unafraid. To critics, too often in the thick of controversy.

Minnesota’s Somali community watches closely

With one of the largest Somali diasporas outside Africa, Minnesota has often been a barometer for national conversations on immigration and integration. Families here carry layered stories: parents who survived war, children who grew up Minnesotan, and life lived between two places. In that context, Jamal’s case is not just about one man. It’s a test of how a sprawling, sometimes contradictory immigration system handles decades-old cases when the country in question remains fragile.

Nationwide, immigration enforcement has moved in cycles: pilot programs, tightened rules, moratoriums, and shifting priorities that swing with administrations. Tens of thousands of noncitizens live under supervision orders when deportation isn’t possible or legally permissible. They work jobs, attend school events, pay taxes and report for check-ins — a limbo that can stretch years. Jamal’s arrest after such long compliance raises familiar questions for families with similar histories: when does a case truly end? What does “safety” mean when conditions in a country of origin fluctuate? And how do local agencies navigate roles that have national implications?

What comes next

For now, Jamal says he is returning to community work. The settlement terms around his release have not been made public, and his legal team expects more administrative steps in the weeks ahead. Sheriff Shea said his office will continue to allow the jail to be scrutinized and insists the facility is meeting standards.

In the meantime, Minnesota’s Somali neighborhoods — from the cafés along Cedar Avenue to the markets in St. Paul’s Midway — will be talking. Jamal has often been at the center of those conversations, even when he is not in the room. His supporters will point to his cooperation, the length of his case and his decision to praise people who held him in custody. His critics will reexamine his past and ask tough questions.

Beyond Minnesota, the case underscores the tension built into America’s immigration machinery: a system designed to process decisive outcomes that often has to live with the gray. When deportation becomes impractical or unsafe, supervision can last for years. People build lives in the shadow of a file that never fully closes. Jamal’s case illustrates how, even decades on, those old files can be opened again.

Back in Albert Lea, the shared dais told its own story. A sheriff and a detainee agreed on at least one point: people inside the jail are still people. That detail may not settle the arguments, but it adds a human frame to a debate that can feel endlessly bureaucratic. As Jamal put it, “The law is working.” The harder question — for courts, communities and policymakers — is whether it’s working in a way that gives people a clear path forward.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.