Judge releases man at center of chaotic arrest in Minnesota's Hennepin County Government Center, rejects federal arguments

Jeff Day, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Feb 16, 2026

Published in News & Features

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MINNEAPOLIS — An 18-year-old who was detained by federal agents in a chaotic scene inside the Hennepin County Government Center last week was ordered released from federal custody.

Junior de Jesus Herrera Berrios of Burnsville was tackled and taken out of the Government Center on Feb. 10 following a foot chase with federal agents who had been scouring the building for him for several hours.

Herrera Berrios had arrived in court for a hearing on first-degree drug possession charges stemming from his arrest in January over allegedly driving a car with 57 pounds of methamphetamine. The detainment was carried out in front of nearly two dozen lawyers and observers who blew whistles and hurled curses at the agents while asking for a warrant.

Court records show U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank ordered the release of Herrera Berrios on Feb. 13, three days after the detainment, because the federal government provided no evidence it had a warrant to arrest him.

Several of the court records in the case were sealed, but Frank’s order notes that while the federal government argued Herrera Berrios was detained as part of a Title 8 immigration enforcement, that does not apply to Herrera Berrios because “he has been in the United States for over three years” and is not an arriving noncitizen.

Herrera Berrios remains charged with drug possession in Hennepin County and his conditional release on that charge requires him to comply with electronic home monitoring.

In a statement provided to the Minnesota Star Tribune after his detainment, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said that Herrera Berrios was a “criminal illegal alien” who would remain in ICE custody.

Courthouses have been increasingly targeted for immigration enforcement in recent weeks amid the drawdown of federal agents in the state for Operation Metro Surge. White House border czar Tom Homan has said targeted enforcement by federal agents with the cooperation of state officials was essential to the drawdown because it requires fewer agents.

The detainment of Herrera Berrios took at least four federal agents and two cars.

The cooperation of state courthouses with federal immigration has become a lightning rod for Minnesota’s legal community, as lawyers on every side of the prosecutorial equation say it is undermining their ability to work cases.

Hennepin County Chief Public Defender Mike Berger, whose clients have been at the center of targeted ICE enforcement, said the tactics deployed by federal agents are turning courthouses into “hunting grounds for the most vulnerable in our community” and eliminating due process.

Courthouses were one of the first areas to be targeted for increased immigration enforcement by the Trump administration when he began his second term in January 2025.

That same month, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, Minneapolis City Attorney Kristyn Anderson and St. Paul City Attorney Lyndsey Olson sent a letter to Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.

They asked the Minnesota Judicial Branch to “use its inherent authority” to protect courthouses by enacting a policy to prevent or limit immigration enforcement at state courthouses, noting that 11 state supreme courts had already done so. Two months later, Hudson responded and said, “While the court understands the concerns raised, at this time the court is not developing any new policy or issuing any statewide orders in response to these requests.”

In a statement, Hennepin County spokeswoman Carolyn Marinan said the federal agents were acting within their rights and courthouse rules when they detained Herrera Berrios.