When Are Federal Immigration Agents Leaving Minnesota?

On Thursday, border czar Tom Homan announced the end of Operation Metro Surge, the federal operation that brought thousands of immigration officers into Minnesota and which resulted in widespread claims of brutal tactics and the deaths of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.

At a press conference, Homan touted the success of the operation, asserting that the Trump administration had seen an “unprecedented level of coordination with law enforcement officials” on the ground and claiming that federal authorities had made more than 4,000 arrests of murderers, sex offenders, and other violent criminals. Earlier this month, Homan directed the withdrawal of 700 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

“A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue through the next week,” he said.

According to Homan, a “small footprint of personnel” will remain on the ground in Minnesota to help transition operations back to the local ICE field office and monitor “agitator activity.” He said officers that are part of the drawdown will return to their home office or be reassigned to help further President Donald Trump’s immigration aims, though he did not provide a specific timetable for the withdrawal. Federal authorities involved with the prosecutions of ICE protesters as well as the government’s ongoing investigation into alleged fraud within Minnesota’s social-services programs will “remain in place until their work is done.”

“I will also remain on the ground for a little longer to oversee the drawdown of this operation and ensure its success,” Homan said.

While the monthslong operation was faced with strong local opposition and allegations of aggressive tactics by ICE agents against residents regardless of immigration status, Homan denounced what he called “unfounded complaints” against the agency, claiming officers never made arrests in churches or hospitals — while claiming such actions would be warranted if they did.

“However, those locations are not off the table. I said on day one, there’s no sanctuary for a significant public safety threat or national security threat. But as far as those stories about ICE going into churches or arresting people in hospitals, it simply has not happened,” Homan said.

He continued, “ICE is a legitimate federal law-enforcement agency. We’re not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil right to due process.”

Minnesota governor Tim Walz addressed Homan’s announcement at a press briefing Wednesday, saying that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the government’s claims. But he was blunt about the impact of the Trump administration’s operation in the state, saying Minnesotans were the target of an “unprecedented federal invasion in all aspects of life.”

“But the fact of the matter is they left us with deep damage, generational trauma. They left us with economic ruin in some cases. They left us with many unanswered questions,” Walz said. “Where are our children? Where and what is the process of the investigations into those that were responsible for the deaths of Renee and Alex? So, while the federal government may move on to whatever next thing they want to do, the state of Minnesota and our administration is unwaveringly focused on the recovery of what they did.”

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, whose city faced the brunt of the federal government’s ire, issued a statement praising his constituents for their resiliency, saying the enforcement surge has been “catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses.”

“They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation,” Frey said.

But Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota congresswoman whose district encompasses Minneapolis, said putting an end to Operation Metro Surge is “not enough.”

“We need justice and accountability. That starts with independent investigations into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, economic restitution for businesses impacted, abolishing ICE, and the impeachment of Kristi Noem,” she said in a statement.