A convicted sex offender from Kenya who was employed by the state despite his criminal record has been released from ICE custody amid pending immigration proceedings.
Alpha News was present a year ago when Wilson Tindi was detained by immigration agents at his home in Plymouth.
Now, an ICE spokesperson confirms Tindi has been released from custody as his case progresses.
“The individual remains in ongoing immigration proceedings. Pursuant to a court order in a habeas matter, the individual has been released from custody pending the conclusion of those proceedings,” the spokesperson said.
“ICE will continue to pursue the case consistent with applicable law and court orders. As this is an active matter, ICE will not comment further on the specifics of the case.”
U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell signed a court document Aug. 20 ordering Tindi’s immediate release.
“Because Petitioner was arrested on the I-200 before the Notice to Appear was issued, he was not validly arrested on a warrant as required under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a),” Blackwell wrote.
“The possibility of a future lawful arrest cannot render the present unlawful detention harmless,” he added.
Tindi, a former director at the Minnesota Department of Education, was first exposed by Alpha News in June 2025 in an investigative report that sparked a firestorm online about the state’s hiring practices.
Tindi is a citizen of Kenya and a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., court documents state. He was convicted in 2016 of sexually assaulting a woman in the Twin Cities after breaking into the home where she slept. He pleaded guilty to the sexual assault charge in exchange for prosecutors dropping a first-degree burglary charge.
He has already spent months in ICE detention once before but was ultimately released and the removal proceedings against him were terminated, according to court documents. He then went on to land taxpayer-funded positions at two separate Minnesota state agencies.
The Minnesota Department of Education confirmed that Tindi’s first day of employment with the agency was April 9, 2025, and his last day was June 27, 2025, the same day Alpha News first reached out to MDE about Tindi. His salary was $145,074 while he worked as Director of Internal Audit and Advisory Services. He also previously worked for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
