Father of a Minneapolis Police Detective Detained During Operation Metro Surge

Roberto Hernández Vargas, 62, was stopped by ICE agents on January 5 while driving to his cook’s shift at Trail Stop Tavern in Eagan and detained without a judicial warrant or stated probable cause. He has no criminal record, no deportation order, and was already in the process of seeking permanent residency through his U.S.-citizen son — a Minneapolis Police detective. He was flown the same day to Camp East Montana in El Paso, then transferred to Torrance County Detention Center in New Mexico, where an immigration judge has twice denied bond. The arrest report contains contradictory dates and was issued under the name of his deceased brother-in-law. His attorney, Rachel Engebretson, has filed a federal habeas petition; federal Judge Nancy Brasel has separately ruled that ICE’s “policies and practices at Whipple” effectively denied detainees access to counsel during Operation Metro Surge.