President Donald Trump’s administration is winding down a major federal immigration enforcement effort in Minneapolis known as Operation Metro Surge, and lawmakers are saying it has achieved notable results — but it has also stirred intense public debate and controversy.
The federal operation began in December 2025, when the Biden administration’s immigration agencies — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — were ordered to send a large group of agents to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area in Minnesota. The goal was to find, arrest, and deport undocumented immigrants, focusing on people whom federal officials described as criminal threats. Officials also framed the mission as a way to support local law enforcement in communities they called “sanctuary” cities because those areas limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
At its peak, the surge brought thousands of federal immigration agents into the state. Federal officials later said that more than 4,000 people had been arrested during the operation and that authorities had found more than 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children who were previously not accounted for, a claim highlighted by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Republican representing Minnesota. Emmer said that both the arrests and locating the children showed the surge was successful and credited Trump’s leadership for the effort.
Yet the operation quickly became controversial. Local and national leaders, immigrants’ rights advocates, and community groups criticized the tactics used by ICE and CBP agents. They argued that thousands of nonviolent immigrants, including some U.S. citizens and children, were swept up in the enforcement without clear evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Reports from Minnesota also described heavy-handed tactics that were painful for families and local residents, and Minnesota officials said the aggressive measures created fear in immigrant communities.
Tensions surged even further after two U.S. citizens — Renée Good and Alex Pretti — were shot and killed by federal agents during the enforcement efforts, as reported by multiple local and national outlets. Those deaths ignited outrage in Minneapolis and across the U.S. and fueled protests that drew tens of thousands of people demanding the operation end. Many Minnesotans quoted in news reports described fear and trauma in the community, and they accused federal agents of violating civil liberties.
As the political pressure grew, federal officials faced increasing scrutiny. State and city leaders in Minnesota, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, criticized the operation’s scope and tactics. They argued that the enforcement had created economic disruption, eroded trust between communities and law enforcement, and forced local schools, businesses, and public services to shut down temporarily at times. These leaders also pushed for accountability and legal oversight of federal immigration actions.
Even some Republican lawmakers expressed concern about how the operation was carried out. Polling reported by local news outlets showed that a significant number of Minnesotans — including some who typically support stricter immigration enforcement — believed ICE tactics had gone too far.
On February 12, 2026, Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s “border czar,” announced at a news conference that Operation Metro Surge would be concluded. Homan said he had proposed ending the operation and that President Trump had agreed. He described the decision as a response to improved cooperation with local law enforcement and a reduction in violent agitation against federal officers. Homan acknowledged that a smaller federal presence would remain in Minnesota for ongoing work and to respond to any potential unrest, but the large surge of agents would be scaled back significantly.
Homan defended the operation’s results, saying it had weakened “sanctuary policies” he argued protected dangerous criminals, and stressed that routine immigration enforcement would continue even after the drawdown. He also repeatedly defended the thousands of arrests and engagement with community leaders he said helped ease public safety concerns.
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders and civil liberties advocates said the operation had caused real harm. They argued that the deaths of Good and Pretti, the disruption to everyday life, and what they saw as overly aggressive enforcement left deep wounds in the community. Minnesota officials demanded federal accountability and expressed concern that the operation — and its long-term effects on trust, safety, and civil rights — would not be easily reversed even after federal agents depart.
In summary, while Trump allies hail Operation Metro Surge as a law enforcement success that located missing migrant children and removed dangerous individuals, critics say the costs — social, economic, and human — overshadow those claimed achievements. The operation’s end marks a significant moment in ongoing national debates over immigration policy, federal authority, and community safety.
