Federal Law Enforcement Presence in Minnesota Scaled Back After Controversial Surge
MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration is beginning to draw down its controversial federal law enforcement surge in Minnesota, officials announced Wednesday, pulling 700 officers from the state in the wake of a second fatal shooting by immigration agents in Minneapolis.
The decision marks a significant shift for Operation Metro Surge, which saw the deployment of roughly 3,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel to the Twin Cities region in early December. The operation, a cornerstone of President Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement agenda, sparked nationwide protests over agents' tactics and confrontations with the public.
White House border advisor Tom Homan stated that the reduction is "effective immediately," leaving around 2,000 federal immigration officers on the ground. He attributed the drawdown to increased cooperation from Minnesota county jails in transferring undocumented immigrants to federal custody.
"More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails means fewer officers on the street conducting operations," Homan explained. He emphasized, however, that the administration's ultimate goal is a complete withdrawal, contingent on further local cooperation and a decrease in security threats against federal personnel.
In an interview with NBC News, President Trump suggested a tactical recalibration. "Maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough," he said, while reiterating his focus on deporting "murderers... drug dealers, all of the bad people."
The announcement follows intense scrutiny after the killing of a U.S. citizen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last month—the second such incident in Minneapolis since the surge began. In response, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that all officers operating in the city will be issued body-worn cameras, a program Homan said would be piloted in Minneapolis before a national rollout.
"We identified a gap in regard to the use of body-worn cameras. That inconsistency was unacceptable," Homan said, acknowledging that some officers previously lacked the equipment.
Minnesota's state and local leaders welcomed the partial pullback but called it insufficient. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey labeled it "a step in the right direction," but argued that "2,000 ICE officers still here is not de‑escalation." Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison echoed demands for a faster, complete withdrawal and state-led investigations into the recent killings.
The scaled-back presence unfolds as the human impact of the surge continues. This week, two elementary school brothers from Minnesota were released from a Texas detention facility with their mother, days after another young child from the same district returned home. Their school district reported the boys recognized a classmate while detained, highlighting the operation's reach into community life.
At least six students from the Columbia Heights district have been detained this year, according to school officials. Several Minnesota school districts have now filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block immigration enforcement near schools without a warrant, citing half-empty classrooms and widespread fear among families.
Voices from the Community:
"This is a relief, but it's a tactical pause, not a change of heart," said Michael Chen, a local immigration attorney. "The infrastructure for mass enforcement remains. Until the remaining 2,000 officers leave and the 'surge' policy is officially terminated, our communities will live in fear."
"Finally, some sense!" exclaimed Sarah Johnson, a parent and small business owner in Minneapolis. "The constant helicopters, the checkpoints—it felt like an occupation. My kids were afraid to go to school. Pulling any agents out is a win, but it shouldn't have taken people dying for them to realize this was a disaster."
"A 'softer touch'? What a disgraceful euphemism," fired out David Park, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota. "This entire operation was a politically motivated stunt that shattered trust and cost lives. Withdrawing 700 agents is a PR move to quell outrage. The administration is trying to gaslight the public into forgetting the unconstitutional overreach and violence it unleashed here."
"The cooperation from jails is key," noted Maria Rodriguez, a former county sheriff's deputy. "If local systems are efficiently funneling individuals with serious criminal records to ICE, it logically reduces the need for high-profile street operations. That's the compromise the administration is betting on, but it leaves the core debate over immigration enforcement entirely unresolved."