SUV driver accused of taking U.S. immigration agent for ride against his will

A federal agent on an immigration detail was briefly “involuntarily carried” off in an SUV Wednesday after confronting a man in Plymouth about his visa status, according to charges against two people.

Oluwadamilola Bamigboye, 24, and Rekeya Frazier, 26, were charged Thursday in U.S. District Court with interfering with Department of Homeland Security agents in connection with the confrontation that began outside an apartment complex in the 3900 block of Lancaster Lane and ended in neighboring New Hope with their arrests.

Bamigboye, who lives in the complex, and Frazier, of Minneapolis, remained jailed in Sherburne County on Friday without bail pending the scheduling of court hearings. Court records do not list an attorney for either of them.

Bamigboye’s LinkedIn profile and Facebook page say he attended McNeese State University in Louisiana and moved to the Twin Cities in 2023.

Immigration officers were conducting an operation that targeted Bamigboye, a native of Nigeria, because he overstayed a student visa that expired in 2024, according to Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, and the criminal complaint filed Thursday.

Wednesday’s immigration action is among many that have occurred primarily in Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge, an effort that has been focused mostly on natives of Somalia and Latin America.

The administration has said its national immigration crackdown is focusing on suspects with criminal records. It appears Bamigboye did not have a criminal history at the time of his arrest, according to online court records.

McLaughlin called on “sanctuary politicians, agitators and the media to turn the temperature down and stop calling for violence and resistance against ICE law enforcement.”

The Plymouth Police Department said in a statement that its officers, who do not “engage in federal immigration enforcement,” showed up at the scene in New Hope and then “cleared themselves from the incident.”

A statement from the New Hope Police Department said its officers “remained on scene until federal authorities cleared the area.” Police Chief Tim Hoyt added that his officers did not participate in either arrest.

According to the criminal complaint:

Homeland Security agents were keeping watch at the apartment complex Wednesday afternoon in pursuit of Bamigboye.

Bamigboye apparently noticed the agents and pulled a mask over his face. He got out of the SUV and moved items from the front seat to the back, while Frazier also exited the vehicle but remained near the driver’s seat.

The agents walked toward the SUV, while showing their identification and identifying themselves as law enforcement officers. They told Bamigboye they wanted to talk to him about his immigration status.

Bamigboye asked what agency they were with, and the agents said Homeland Security. Bamigboye jumped in the back seat and screamed at Frazier to drive.

Frazier got in the driver’s seat, and one agent got in the front passenger seat in an effort to keep her from driving away, while another tried to pull Bamigboye from the back seat.

The agent in the front seat struggled to keep Frazier from putting the SUV into drive while Bamigboye tried to push him out of the way.

McLaughlin said one of the officers was “knocked from the car and fell to the street.”

Meanwhile, the agent seated next to Frazier was still in the vehicle and “was now being involuntarily carried in the [SUV] as it drove,” the complaint continued.

The agent in the SUV demanded that Frazier stop driving while he continuously tried to put the vehicle in park.

As Frazier kept pushing the agent’s hand away from the gear shift, she said words to the effect of “‘If you don’t stop, I’m going to crash the car,’” the complaint continued. She told him they were heading to a police station.

The agent, not being from Minnesota or familiar with the area, “was in fear that he was being abducted,” the complaint read.

As Frazier kept driving, the agent drew his gun and ordered her to stop, but she kept going. Trailing her was the other agent with his vehicle’s lights and sirens on. At one point, he inadvertently hit the SUV from behind as it slowed.

Frazier parked outside the New Hope police station, about 2 miles from the apartment complex. The agent in pursuit used his vehicle to block Frazier’s.

Bamigboye ran from the SUV to a nearby grocery store, prompting the agent who trailed the SUV to chase after him. The agent and a police officer in the store confronted Bamigboye before he was taken to the floor and arrested. Frazier was apprehended outside the store.

Frazier declined to speak with FBI agents. Bamigboye told them the Homeland Security agents did not show their credentials. He did acknowledge telling Frazier to drive off when he was first confronted outside the apartment complex. He also admitted pushing the agent battling for control of the SUV.