Minnesota DHS Surge Will End, Border Czar Says

Border czar Tom Homan said Thursday the immigration enforcement surge operation in Minnesota will end, and a drawdown of agents will continue into next week.

“I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,” Homan said at a press conference.

The Minnesota deportation push, called Operation Metro Surge, led to the arrest of more than 4,000 immigrants, the White Houseannounced last week. It also led to mass protests, the death of two U.S. citizens who were shot by federal immigration officers, and it coincided with a huge drop in Americans’ approval of Trump’s deportation tactics,according to polling.

The border czar claimed victory in the operation, saying agents have “greatly reduced the number of targets for enforcement action” and arrested violent criminals. The Department of Homeland Security removed 700 agents from Minnesota last week and left 2,000 others to continue deportation operations. The typical number of agents there is about 150, Homan said previously.

It is unclear how many agents will remain, but Homan said Thursday that some would stay to conclude the operation and to “ensure agitator activity continues to decline, and that state and local law enforcement continue to respond to ensure officer and community safety.”

Personnel assigned to investigate agitators and allegations of fraud in Minnesota will remain in the state as well, Homan said.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how many agents will remain or to provide details on the arrests.

Homan said as a result of the operation, local law enforcement in Minnesota plans to cooperate more with Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts by turning over people in jails.

“As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals. And we are proud of the public safety threats we have removed from the criminal aims of the state,” Homan said.

Local officials have said that this was already happening prior to and during the surge — in fact, some of the arrests the administration touted were of people transferred into ICE custody from jail, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have strongly condemned the immigration operation and repeatedly called for DHS forces to leave the state. Neither office immediately responded to a request for comment on the drawdown or policy changes from local law enforcement.

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

Minnesota and multiple cities sued the Trump administration in January over the operation, arguing it was unconstitutional and that the state was being targeted over its politics. A federal judge declined to halt the operation while that lawsuit is pending.

Homan took over DHS’s Minnesota operation following the death of Alex Pretti and the subsequent removal of Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. Pretti’s killing, the second of an American citizen in Minneapolis during the surge, heightened scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security, with lawmakers calling for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to resign and agents to leave the city.

“We don’t want to see any more bloodshed. I don’t want to see any more bloodshed,” Homan said.

Homan said the end of the Minnesota operation should not be interpreted to mean that Trump has abandoned his plan of mass deportations.

“We have a lot of work to do across this country to remove public safety risk, who shouldn’t even be in this country, and to deliver on President Trump’s promise for strong border security and mass deportation,” Homan said.