Adam Abdullah’s criminal record in Minnesota consists of two parking citations for failing to move his car during snow emergencies. The Somali national paid both tickets — $56 each — in early 2025 within days of the charges, according to Minnesota court records.
But months after a run-in with federal immigration agents in December as part of the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge, he’s now sitting in Guantánamo Bay, the infamous military prison historically used for terrorism suspects.
He told Minnesota Public Radio that he had been living legally in the United States with a work permit and a Social Security number since arriving in 2023 as an asylum seeker. He’s one of at least eight Somali nationals currently being housed at the military facility, he said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement records confirm Abdullah is in custody at Guantánamo Bay’s Camp 6, a detention camp that was repurposed in 2025 to hold migrants.
Abdullah’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, told The Washington Sun that he suspects there are political underpinnings behind the eight Somalis’ detention at the storied prison.
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Abdullah “was trying to do everything the proper legal way, and he is by far not a criminal,” Prokosch said Wednesday. “I do feel that there is some political motivation to the Guantanamo aspect here.”
President Donald Trump has targeted Somalis since his return to office, referring to immigrants as “garbage” and calling Somalia a “hellhole.” In January, the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals.
It remains unclear to Abdullah why he has been detained at Guantánamo Bay. He was told at first that it was a refueling stop on the way to Somalia, and authorities have not provided any further information about his status or why he has remained there for two weeks.
Abdullah said he has also not received an explanation as to why immigration agents stopped his vehicle and detained him in December during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
“When they come to me, and I ask them why you pulled me over, they say, ‘We are immigration, so give me your work permit,’” Abdullah told Minnesota Public Radio, which was the first to report on his detention. “And I asked them, ‘Do you have a warrant, and what’s the reason to pull me over?’ And they say, ‘We don’t need a warrant. We are immigration, and we know you are Adam Abdullah.’”
Prokosch, who represents Abdullah, told The Sun that his client was targeted as part of ICE’s Operation Metro Surge
“With the whole Somali issue in Minnesota with this administration, it’s clear that there were people that were targeted, and obviously Adam was one of them,” Prokosch said.
Abdullah said detainees in Guantánamo Bay have limited access to phone calls and physical activities. He said he’s able to talk to fellow detainees for a few hours during the day.
Prokosch said he and Abdullah have only been able to speak about the case once over a direct phone call.
“If I have a client that’s detained anywhere within the 50 states, I can go to that facility as an attorney and ask for a private room,” Prokosch said. “But when you’re being held at Guantanamo, I can’t do that … I have no assurance — especially with what this administration has been doing, that any conversations I have would be confidential.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Wednesday that the recent flight to Guantánamo Bay included “some of the worst of the worst,” with criminal histories that included allegations of aggravated assaults, weapons offenses, robbery, trespassing, unauthorized use of a vehicle and multiple drug charges.
“President Trump and Secretary Mullin will not allow criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens,” the statement said. “If you come to our country illegally, you could end up in Guantanamo Bay or even another third country.”
DHS did not respond to follow-up questions on Abdullah’s criminal record.
Abdullah’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump signed an executive order days after his inauguration to expand Guantánamo Bay’s Migrant Operations Center, a detention facility traditionally used to process migrants intercepted at sea, so it could house “high-priority criminal aliens” prior to deportation.
The first group of detainees arrived in February 2025 as legal challenges quickly mounted to prevent the transfers. The Trump administration continued to send groups to Guantánamo Bay throughout 2025, temporarily housing migrants in tent cities and occasionally sending them back to stateside detention centers.
In May, CBS News reported that six Haitian migrants were being held at Guantánamo Bay. It’s unclear how many migrants are currently being held there.
This story has been updated to include comments from Abdullah’s attorney.
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