Minnesota‘s Democratic Governor Tim Walz said Tuesday that he expects federal immigration raids to end within days, not weeks, following weeks of unrest in the Twin Cities.
Walz said he had spoken with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Tuesday morning, and that these were the basis for his understanding that operations would ease up in the state.
“It would be my hope that Mr. Homan goes out before Friday and announces that this thing is done, and they’re bringing her down and they’re bringing her down in days,” Walz said of the operation. “That would be my expectation.”
Earlier in the day, lawmakers on Capitol Hill questioned leaders of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies overseeing the Minnesota operation, which has seen two U.S. citizens shot and killed by federal agents, as well as sweeping arrests of immigrants of varying legal statuses.
Newsweek reached out to DHS for comment, but officials deferred to the White House.
Why It Matters
Walz has been heavily critical of the Trump administration’s actions in his state, which originally stemmed from long-running investigations into fraud allegedly committed by Somali immigrants. Tensions escalated when Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, was shot in her car by an ICE agent on January 7, leading to calls from Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for agents to leave. Operations continued, as did protests, with another American, VA nurse Alex Pretti, also shot dead later in the month.
What To Know
The Minnesota governor said Tuesday that he was in a “trust but verify mode” when it came to the idea of hundreds of agents pulling out of Minneapolis and St. Paul, adding that more details were likely in the coming days.
Last week, Homan, who was sent to the Twin Cities to take over operations from the Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino, announced that 700 of the roughly 3,000 federal agents in the area would be pulled. In part, he said this was down to increased cooperation with local law enforcement.
Homan said at his news conference last Wednesday that he was not asking local law enforcement to be immigration officers, and that jails were not required to hold suspects or those convicted of a crime past their mandated jail time—a concern raised by multiple sanctuary cities and counties. He said increased communication with federal agents would ensure easy transfer of individuals into ICE detention.
On Tuesday, Walz said that he expected state officials would be allowed to jointly investigate the deaths of Good and Pretti, following weeks of claims they had been frozen out by the Trump administration.
What is “Operation Metro Surge”?
Operation Metro Surge was launched as the latest in a series of target operations in cities across the U.S. by the Trump administration, as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration.
Agents were brought in in December from all around the U.S. to seek out and detain alleged illegal immigrant criminals while also investigating the claims of fraud committed by Somali immigrants. The operation saw some 3,000 agents from ICE and the Border Patrol carrying out arrests, often in residential neighborhoods and businesses.
As with other operations in Chicago and Los Angeles, federal agents clashed with protestors and local leaders, who felt that their tactics were too aggressive.
Those protests only grew stronger following Good and Pretti’s deaths, with Trump administration officials initially blaming both individuals for their deaths despite little time to investigate.
During Tuesday’s Congressional hearing on the operation, acting ICE director Todd Lyons was questioned about his agent’s actions on January 7, which led to Renee Good’s death. He was asked if he would apologize for officials branding her a domestic terrorist, to which he responded: “No, sir,” adding that he welcomed “the opportunity to speak to the family in private but I’m not going to commend on active investigations.”
What People Are Saying
Acting ICE director Todd Lyons, speaking to lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday: “We’ve seen a de-escalation in protests, so our agents can do their intelligence-driven enforcement operations. Just the other night, local law enforcement arrested 54 protestors and ICE officers didn’t have to be engaged.”
Minnesota Democratic Representative Angie Craig, on X Tuesday: “Of course Trump officials won’t apologize to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Wish I could say I’m surprised.”
What Happens Next
A formal announcement on the next stage of the operation in Minnesota is yet to be made.
Update 2/10/26, 5:34 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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