White House border tsar Tom Homan announced on Sunday that the Trump administration is significantly scaling back its massive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota's Twin Cities area, with more than 1,000 agents already departed and hundreds more set to leave in the coming days.
Speaking about the drawdown of Operation Metro Surge, Homan stated, “We already removed well over 1,000 people, and as of Monday, Tuesday, we’ll remove several hundred more.” He added, “We’ll get back to the original footprint,” indicating a return to pre-surge staffing levels while maintaining a continued presence for specific investigations.
Thousands of officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been deployed to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area as part of Operation Metro Surge, which the Department of Homeland Security described as its largest immigration enforcement operation ever and one that proved successful.
The operation faced sharp criticism amid growing volatility, particularly following the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of ICE agents. These incidents raised serious questions about officers’ conduct and prompted changes to the enforcement effort.
Despite the broader withdrawal, Homan emphasized that agents would remain to investigate fraud allegations as well as an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a church service in the area.
The Department of Homeland Security highlighted the operation's achievements, noting the removal of well over 1,000 individuals, even as public scrutiny intensified over the killings and the overall conduct of the surge.
