Abel, an undocumented immigrant who has lived in Minnesota for 29 years and raised four U.S.-born children, was detained by ICE agents in January 2026 while delivering groceries to neighbors in Burnsville as part of a church-coordinated effort to assist families in hiding. The detention occurred during Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's expanded enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Abel was later released from immigration detention, but the incident left his sons traumatized after witnessing federal agents detain their father during a routine community service activity.