Border Czar EXITS Minneapolis After Americans Killed

The Trump administration just declared victory in one of its most contentious immigration battles, pulling federal agents out of Minneapolis after a weeks-long crackdown that left two Americans dead and an entire city reeling.

Story Snapshot

Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis on February 12, 2026, calling the mission accomplished after weeks of intensive ICE enforcement
The operation was launched following the deaths of two U.S. citizens during protests against immigration raids, prompting Homan to personally take control of enforcement efforts
Local Democratic leaders including Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, condemned the operation as catastrophic for businesses and communities
Federal agents will draw down over the next week but maintain a small presence for investigations into agitators, fraud cases, and ongoing safety concerns

When Enforcement Turns Deadly

Operation Metro Surge didn’t start as just another immigration sweep. The deaths of Alex Prey and Renee Nicole Good during clashes involving federal agents and protesters transformed routine enforcement into a national flashpoint. Homan assumed direct command of Minneapolis operations, flooding the city with ICE personnel in what became one of the highest-profile federal interventions in recent memory. The Trump administration framed Minnesota as a sanctuary haven for criminals, setting up an inevitable collision between federal authority and local resistance that would reshape immigration enforcement tactics nationwide.

Mission Accomplished or Catastrophic Overreach

Homan’s announcement projected confidence and finality. Standing before cameras, he declared Minnesota now less of a sanctuary state for criminals, citing successful arrests of public safety threats and improved coordination with local law enforcement. President Trump signed off on the drawdown proposal, satisfied that deportation promises were being kept. Yet the federal victory lap rang hollow for Minneapolis residents who watched their neighborhoods become enforcement zones. Mayor Jacob Frey didn’t mince words, calling the operation catastrophic for neighbors and businesses alike, while Governor Walz ominously noted that the long road to recovery starts now.

The Numbers Don’t Match the Narrative

Trump claimed crime dropped during the surge, but Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara disputed those assertions, creating an awkward gap between federal triumphalism and local reality. Immigration attorneys documented troubling conditions for detainees, including barriers to legal access that raised due process questions. Legal observer groups tracking ICE activity reported things weren’t getting better even as Homan announced the drawdown. The economic toll hit local businesses hard, compounding social strains from weeks of protests and heavy federal presence that turned ordinary streets into conflict zones requiring volunteer tracking teams to monitor agent movements.

What Cooperation Actually Looked Like

Minnesota officials pushed back hard against sanctuary state accusations during Capitol Hill testimony coinciding with Homan’s announcement. Attorney General Keith Ellison and Corrections Chief Paul Schnell defended their cooperation record, arguing the state coordinated on ICE detainers while following legal constraints on final removal orders. Schnell called Homan’s involvement positive but flagged persistent information-sharing problems between federal and state agencies that undermined operational effectiveness. The Section 287(g) framework allowing local handovers to ICE became a flashpoint, with state officials insisting they operated within legal bounds while the White House blamed Democratic resistance for the very deaths that triggered the surge.

The Precedent That Terrifies Sanctuary Cities

Operation Metro Surge wasn’t designed just to deport criminals from Minneapolis. The operation served as a proof of concept for targeted federal surges overriding local objections, a template applicable to any jurisdiction the administration deems insufficiently cooperative. Small federal teams remaining behind to investigate agitators and fraud cases signal ongoing federal scrutiny extending beyond traditional enforcement. Resources freed up from Minneapolis will redirect to national deportation priorities, spreading the surge model across America. For cities weighing resistance to federal immigration enforcement, Minnesota’s experience delivers an unmistakable message about the costs of defiance when Washington decides to make an example of you.

The drawdown resolves nothing fundamental about the clash between federal immigration authority and local autonomy. Homan promised no backing down on enforcement, while Democratic leaders vowed to rebuild communities they believe federal agents damaged. Two Americans died in confrontations that never should have escalated to lethal force, yet the political incentives driving both sides remain unchanged. Minnesota’s ordeal demonstrates what happens when immigration policy becomes a battlefield rather than a deliberative process, leaving businesses shuttered, families separated, and entire neighborhoods traumatized in the name of public safety that local police chiefs say never materialized. The long road to recovery Walz referenced isn’t just about Minneapolis healing from Operation Metro Surge, but America finding sustainable immigration solutions that don’t require turning cities into occupied territory.