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Crime, Law and Justice
Sarah Thamer

Lawsuit claims Carver County Sheriff held man illegally on ICE detainer request

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The ACLU of Minnesota announced Wednesday that it is suing the Carver County Sheriff for illegally holding a non-citizen in custody for pick up from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

According to the suit, Maikol Javier Suarez Varela was arrested on Jan. 5, 2025 in Chanhassen. Sheriff Jason Kamerud or others at the jail, reads the complaint, contacted ICE about Suarez Varela’s presence. 

The ACLU alleges that even though a bail payment was made for Suarez Varela, Carver County continued to hold him based on a detainer request from ICE, which is not the same as a court issued warrant. 

“The sheriff’s office acted outside their clearly defined statutory authority and the bounds of the Minnesota Constitution by holding Suarez Varela for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after he paid bail,” the ACLU-MN wrote in a press release.

Suarez Varela’s attorney, Ian Bratlie, says Suarez Varela is an asylum applicant from Venezuela. 

The ACLU-MN says Suarez Varela’s $10,000 bail was paid by the Minnesota Freedom Fund on Feb. 13. 

“As soon as bail was paid, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office had no legal basis to continue to detain him — but they did so anyway.” 

The ACLU-MN says Suarez Varela is currently being held by ICE at the Freeborn County jail. 

Law enforcement agencies have been warned that it’s not legal to hold someone based on a detainer request.

In January 2025, a Minnesota Sheriff’s Association attorney stated that Minnesota jails cannot legally comply with ICE detainers. And the ACLU has sued, and won lawsuits against counties that held immigrants for ICE agents without proper authorization.

MPR News contacted the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, who says they were unaware of the complaint until they started receiving media requests. Officials from the sheriff’s office say they are in the process of reviewing the complaint with their legal department and do not have additional information to provide at this time.  

MPR News also contacted the Carver County Attorney’s Office and did not immediately hear back.