ICE Arrests 4,000 Immigrants in Minnesota Operation Metro Surge

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 4,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge. Launched by the Trump administration, the operation targeted individuals with serious criminal backgrounds, including terrorists, gang members, and murderers. Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security stated that these arrests occurred despite coordinated violent attacks against law enforcement.

The massive influx of detainees has caused the Minnesota legal system to buckle. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, a deluge of habeas petitions and cases has clogged court dockets and exhausted legal personnel. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of Minnesota canceled all civil enforcement work to operate in a reactive mode, while more than a dozen lawyers resigned. The strain reached a peak when federal prosecutor Julie Le was removed from her role after telling a U.S. District Judge that the system and the job suck.

Local governments have begun to formally oppose the federal operation. On February 2, 2026, the Minnetonka City Council voted to support an amicus brief in the case State of Minnesota v. Noem to secure an injunction against the surge. Mayor Rebecca Schack joined the Cities for Safe and Stable Communities coalition, representing over a dozen west metro mayors calling for de-escalation and relief funding to offset the economic and social costs of current enforcement tactics.