The arrests began on Dec. 1 as part of Operation Metro Surge, launched to apprehend illegal immigrants for removal from the country.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Jan. 19 that more than 10,000 criminal illegal immigrants had been arrested by federal law enforcement officers during ongoing immigration-related operations in Minneapolis.
“We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis,” Noem wrote on X. “In the last 6 weeks, our brave DHS law enforcement have arrested 3,000 criminal illegal aliens including vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles and incredibly dangerous individuals. A HUGE victory for public safety.”
PEACE AND PUBLIC SAFETY IN MINNEAPOLIS! We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Frey refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals. In the…
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) January 19, 2026
Many law enforcement officers of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as other agencies, have been deployed to the Minnesota cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul since Dec. 1, as part of Operation Metro Surge.
Local Democratic Party officials and progressive groups have voiced their opposition to this effort, with many protesters demonstrating against law enforcement officers while they are conducting arrests, and have sued the administration to enjoin the law enforcement operations. The tension grew after protester Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer. Federal officials said Good drove her SUV into the ICE officer, who shot her in self-defense.
Operation Metro Surge is one of many recent actions the Trump administration has undertaken against Minnesota amid allegations of welfare fraud and race-based discrimination.
The state has been sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged violations of the Civil Rights Act for alleged racial discrimination in state hiring, and is under investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for alleged violations of the Fair Housing Act arising from “racial favoritism.”
Furthermore, dozens of members of the Somali community in the state have been indicted or convicted of fraud involving the theft of public funds on a massive scale. The Department of Homeland Security has also taken other immigration actions that affected the community, such as terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia’s citizens and reviewing past asylum and naturalization applications for fraud.
By Arjun Singh
