Controversial Minnesota immigration crackdown ending, Trump’s border czar says

The Trump administration is ending its immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to thousands of arrests, violent protests and the fatal shootings of two US citizens, border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday.

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The operation called the Department of Homeland Security’s “largest immigration enforcement operation ever” has proved to be highly controversial, with angry protests erupting after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul area resulted in more than 4,000 arrests, Homan said, touting it as a success.

“The surge is leaving Minnesota safer,” he said. “I’ll say it again, it’s less of a sanctuary state for criminals.”

The announcement marks a significant retreat from an operation that has become a major distraction for the Trump administration and has been more volatile than prior crackdowns in Chicago and Los Angeles.

It comes as a new AP-NORC poll found that around six in 10 adults in the US think Trump’s immigration policies have gone too far.

But Trump’s border czar pledged that immigration enforcement won’t end when the Minnesota operation is over.

“President Trump made a promise of mass deportation and that’s what this country is going to get,” Homan said.

Road to recovery

Democratic Governor Tim Walz said on Tuesday that he expected Operation Metro Surge, which started in December, to end in “days, not weeks and months,” based on his conversations with senior administration officials.

“The long road to recovery starts now,” Walz posted on X after Homan’s announcement. “The impact on our economy, our schools, and people’s lives won’t be reversed overnight. That work starts today.”

Some activists expressed relief at Homan’s announcement, but warned that the fight isn’t over. Lisa Erbes, a leader of the progressive protest group Indivisible Twin Cities said officials, must be held accountable for the chaos of the crackdown.

“People have died. Families have been torn apart,” Erbes said. “We can’t just say this is over and forget the pain and suffering that has been put on the people of Minnesota.”

While the Trump administration has called those arrested in Minnesota “dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” many people with no criminal records, including children and US citizens, were detained.

Homan announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately, but that still left more than 2,000 on Minnesota’s streets.

At the time, he cited an “increase in unprecedented collaboration” resulting in the need for fewer federal officers in Minnesota, including help from jails that hold deportable inmates.

Homan said on Thursday that he intends to stay in Minnesota to oversee the drawdown that began this week and will continue next week.

The widespread pullout comes as protests on the streets have started to wane, Homan said.

“We’ve seen a big change here in the last couple of weeks,” he said, crediting cooperation from local leaders.

During the height of the surge, heavily armed officers were met by resistance from residents upset with their aggressive tactics.

“They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbours and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on social media.

“These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it’s not just about resistance — standing with our neighbours is deeply American.”

Homan took over the Minnesota operation in late January after the second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents and amid growing political backlash and questions about how the operation was being run.

“We’re very much in a trust but verify mode,” Walz said on Tuesday, adding that he expected to hear more from the administration “in the next day or so” about the future of what he said has been an “occupation” and a “retribution campaign” against the state.