Minneapolis-area communities are bracing for the end of the Trump administration’s federal immigration crackdown after border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that the “Operation Metro Surge” enforcement effort in Minnesota is winding down. Homan said the drawdown marks the conclusion of an operation that swept across the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and other parts of the state, producing thousands of arrests, wide public demonstrations and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during clashes with federal officers.
Homan described the enforcement push as leaving Minnesota safer, arguing it was “less of a sanctuary state for criminals.” He said the surge is “leaving Minnesota safer,” adding, “I’ll say it again: It’s less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” while telling reporters that the effort resulted in more than 4,000 arrests. The crackdown, the Department of Homeland Security called its “ largest immigration enforcement operation ever,” became a flashpoint in the broader debate over Trump’s mass deportation plans.
During the operation, federal officers’ arrival changed daily life across the Twin Cities, according to the account of residents and activists during the crackdown. The surge included convoys of unmarked SUVs in some immigrant neighborhoods, where some residents said they encountered federal agents in body armor during arrests. Protesters also regularly confronted officers in street clashes that included taunts, insults and shrieking whistles, and in some cases activists and officers used tear gas and pepper spray, according to the reporting.
The enforcement effort also became defined by violence, after federal officers shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, according to the account. The administration initially framed the surge as a bid to root out fraud in publicly funded programs that it said was linked to Minnesota’s large Somali community, most of whom the reporting says are U.S. citizens. The operation later broadened its focus toward other ethnic groups, including Latinos and West Africans, as protests intensified.
While Homan announced the drawdown, Minnesota officials and community groups signaled that skepticism and political conflict would continue. Minneapolis City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said in a statement that city residents would “believe it when we see it,” warning that “any ICE presence is a threat to everyone’s safety,” and that communities would be left to “pick up the pieces.” The reporting described how immigrant residents stayed home from school or shifted to remote learning, some businesses temporarily shut down, and residents delivered food to families too afraid to leave their homes.
Gov. Tim Walz said Walz urged residents to remain vigilant as immigration officers prepare to leave, and he said he would not express gratitude for the federal officials he described as causing “this unnecessary, unwarranted and in many cases unconstitutional assault on our state.” Walz said the state’s road ahead would be “a long road,” and he proposed a $10 million aid package for businesses that had suffered. He also said he would press Washington for help funding recovery, calling on the federal government to address harm rather than simply “break things” and then leave.
The Homan announcement came as Democratic lawmakers sought restraints on immigration officers before agreeing to fund DHS, and as the Trump administration worked in Congress to secure votes to prevent federal funding from expiring by the end of the week. Walz, who previously served in Congress, said the announcement did not make him more ready to support restoring DHS funding, adding that he has urged leaders to “hold the line until you get the at least minimum reforms necessary in this rogue agency.”
In Washington, Republican Sen. Rand Paul said the Minneapolis shootings affected how some Americans viewed the crackdown. Paul said at a Thursday hearing that “the public trust has been lost” and argued that to restore trust in ICE and Border Patrol, officials must admit their mistakes, be honest with rules of engagement and pledge reforms.
Even as enforcement was set to draw down, Homan said the larger push would not end. He said President Trump made a promise of mass deportation and that the country would get it, while the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, told the hearing the agency was still looking for about 16,840 people in Minnesota with final orders of removal. On the ground, community members and activists said they saw the end of the surge as insufficient, with at least some declaring the fight would continue.
In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to discuss ways to protect immigrants, with Frey saying on social media that “These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it’s not just about resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American.” Meanwhile, a makeshift memorial for Renee Good included remarks from her son’s care aide and her relatives, and protest leaders said families would not quickly forget the period of enforcement even if the drawdown begins.