A 23-year-old who walked out of Hennepin County jail on $100 cash bail is now in federal custody and awaiting deportation, in a case federal officials are holding up as a cautionary tale in Minnesota’s sanctuary policy fight.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s St. Paul field office arrested Esdras Aaron Rodriguez-Hernandez last Sunday and placed him in federal detention. Hennepin County records show he had previously been booked on a warrant in November, then released the next day after posting cash bail. Federal officials say the case underscores what they describe as growing enforcement challenges tied to sanctuary-style policies in the state.
ICE says the arrest happened in the community
ICE St. Paul has confirmed the arrest and says Rodriguez-Hernandez is detained pending removal, according to Dallas Express. That outlet reports the agency announced the apprehension on Jan. 25 and that federal officials are now coordinating the deportation process.
Court records show low cash bail and a later charge change
Hennepin County booking and release paperwork list Rodriguez-Hernandez as booked on Nov. 9, 2025, and released from custody the following day after posting cash bail, according to a Hennepin County release receipt filed with the White House. Court filings show the case was later resolved under a stay of adjudication on Jan. 6 and that the disposition moved away from the original domestic-assault allegation, according to a filed court order archived by the White House.
Why federal officials are flagging the case
Federal officials, including the White House, have pointed to low bail amounts and post-release charge changes as obstacles that can prevent ICE from picking up suspects directly from local jails. Instead, agents are often forced to locate people later in the community.
The Department of Homeland Security included Rodriguez-Hernandez on a recent list of arrests it labeled the “worst of the worst,” a roster of individuals the agency says were convicted of or charged with serious crimes in Minnesota. Federal Newswire has documented that the DHS list, while FOX 9 has tracked Operation Metro Surge and its fallout in the Twin Cities.
What a stay of adjudication means
A stay of adjudication allows a court to withhold entering a conviction while a defendant completes probation. If the person completes those terms, the case can be dismissed instead of ending in a conviction. That distinction, described in court guidance and Minnesota law, has become a flashpoint in the federal critique of how some local cases are resolved, according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes…