MINNEAPOLIS — Longtime local Somali community advocate Omar Jamal was taken into custody Friday morning by federal ICE agents.

KARE 11 confirmed Jamal was apprehended in downtown Minneapolis.

Court records from 2005 show Jamal was previously convicted of immigration fraud in Tennessee, resulting in one year of probation, which included being referred to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services for deportation. In later filings, documents show his attempt to appeal the conviction was unsuccessful, but he was not deported.

Following the news of his arrest, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office — where Jamal had been employed as a civilian community services officer in 2020 — a spokesperson for the office told KARE 11:

"Omar Jamal joined the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office as a civilian Co

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