Walz says federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota could end soon

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Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday that he expects the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota could end in “days, not weeks and months,” citing recent conversations with senior Trump administration officials. Speaking at a news conference, the Democratic governor said he has been told the operation is winding down, but he added that circumstances could still change. Walz said his message to the federal government is that he expects a swift conclusion.

Walz said he spoke Monday with border czar Tom Homan and then met with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Tuesday morning. He said the administration’s posture is a “trust but verify mode,” and he said he expects additional information “in the next day or so” about what he called an “occupation” and a “retribution campaign” directed at Minnesota.

Walz also said he is hopeful that Homan will announce that the crackdown is over soon. He said his expectation is that Homan will leave Minnesota before Friday and tell the public that the operation is done, with the remaining timeline described in terms of “days.” Walz said he did not have a reason to doubt Homan’s prior statement that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately, though he said that still left 2,300 officers on Minnesota’s streets.

In addition to forecasting the crackdown’s end, Walz said he expects the state to receive cooperation on joint investigations into two deaths that have fueled tensions between federal and state authorities. The governor said he expects “cooperation on joint investigations” involving the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers, but he did not provide details about what cooperation would entail.

Walz said the news conference was aimed largely at the economic effects of the enforcement surge. He held the event at The Market at Malcolm Yards, a food hall where owner Patty Wall described the restaurant sector’s situation as “collateral damage” from the crackdown. Walz’s employment and economic development commissioner, Matt Varilek, said the venue would normally be busy but was struggling because employees and customers were afraid to come.

Even as Walz expressed optimism that the federal operation is close to ending, federal officers made a highly visible arrest in downtown Minneapolis. After a short foot chase, ICE officers grabbed a man inside the lobby of the main county building as he arrived for a court appearance on charges of possessing over 50 pounds of methamphetamine. The man could go unpunished on the state drug charges if he is deported first.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty objected to the arrest, saying it was “disruptive and disturbing to many” and that staffers in the courthouse were afraid to leave their offices due to fears of being racially profiled. Moriarty said using local government courthouses for federal civil immigration enforcement interferes with the administration of justice, prevents witnesses from testifying, and deprives victims of their opportunity to seek justice.

Moriarty also said in her statement that she has objected to earlier ICE arrests of people making court appearances in the same courthouse. Walz’s comments on Tuesday, delivered amid the continuing enforcement and related courtroom conflicts, set a near-term expectation for when the federal crackdown would stop—while federal agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the governor’s remarks.