We hit 1,000 habeas corpus cases in Minnesota back on February 25. In the more than two weeks since, we have managed to inch up to only 1,070.
The reduced flow of new federal cases seeking to free one or more illegal aliens from ICE custody reflects the wind down of Operation Metro Surge.
To be clear, immigration enforcement has not ended in Minnesota. Example A is Ricardo Marquina-Castillo, our Minnesota Man of the Week.
Marquina, a/k/a Diego Medina-Castillo, was indicted back in December for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien. Court records indicate that Marquina had been previously convicted of that same felony crime down in Texas back in August 2020. He unsuccessfully appealed that Texas conviction to the 5th circuit court of appeals.
He is also shown with a felony-level drunk driving conviction dating to 2019. Records indicate that Marquina was picked up again in July 2025 in Hennepin County for driving without a valid license. It appears that he was picked up again this month on a failure-to-appear warrant. He appears to be a citizen of Mexico.
Marquina, age 45, made his first appearance this week in the new illegal reentry case. Along with his court-appointed lawyer and his court-appointed Spanish-language interpreter, he is due back in court on March 17 for a detention hearing.
Éire go Brách.