MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A Minnesota home renovator says he was stunned to find himself listed by the Department of Homeland Security as one of the agency’s “worst of the worst” detained immigrants, even though records reviewed by ABC News did not show a drug case tied to him. Telesforo Cerero-Palacios said he has no reported criminal history beyond minor traffic and parking matters and a dismissed false-name arrest from 1998.
After ABC News began asking questions about his inclusion, DHS appears to have removed him from the database. The agency did not answer questions about whether he had been listed in error.
How He Was Listed
Cerero-Palacios said agents came to his home on April 7, 2025, looking for a relative and then questioned him about his immigration status. He said he told officers he was undocumented and was taken into custody.
A DHS document reviewed by ABC News appears to support that account, saying deportation officers were working with the Drug Enforcement Agency during fugitive operations at his address. The document said he admitted he did not have papers allowing him to live in the United States legally.
The same document does not mention drug charges. It also says he was not using narcotics and was in good health.
Records And Agency Claims
ABC News reviewed Minnesota criminal records and found several traffic and parking tickets and one small-claims case, but no drug-related charge tied to Cerero-Palacios. His attorney also shared a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension letter saying a fingerprint, name and date-of-birth search found no record.
ICE later pointed to the 1998 arrest for giving a police officer a false name, though that case was dismissed in 2000. The spokesperson also referred to a drug charge, but it was not clear what charge was being referenced.
Despite the government’s claims, the DHS document showed the agency had issued him a non-immigrant visa three times, most recently in 2015.
What Happens Now
Cerero-Palacios was held for 16 days last year before being released on bond, according to his attorney, Gloria Contreras Edin. He remains in immigration proceedings and has another hearing scheduled for April.
He said the listing made him afraid to leave home except for work, and he worries the public now sees him as connected to drugs. His attorney said the apparent mistake raises concerns about whether other people may have been wrongly placed in the database as well.
DHS launched the “worst of the worst” website in December and said it would let users search criminal noncitizens arrested across all 50 states. The database has since grown to more than 30,000 names.
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