Beginning in December 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), launched a major immigration enforcement initiative in Minnesota known as “Operation Metro Surge.” The campaign was described by the federal government as the “largest immigration operation ever,” involving thousands of immigration agents deployed primarily to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area (Encylopedia Britannica).
In Mid-December, community resistance and reports of heavy-handed enforcement tactics appear in local reporting. In early January, 2,000 more ICE agents were sent to Minneapolis (PBS). On January 7, 2026, U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during enforcement activity. Federal authorities claimed she tried to run over officers; community videos and witnesses raised doubts about that narrative (Encylopedia Britannica). The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was initially part of the investigation but was later removed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, leaving the FBI in charge (Live5WCSC).
On January 12, 2026, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul filed a federal lawsuit against DHS alleging Operation Metro Surge was unconstitutional and harmful to residents’ rights (Minnesota Attorney General). Widespread anti-ICE protests occurred in Minneapolis and across the U.S., driven by outrage over aggressive immigration enforcement tactics (Wikipedia). On January 24, 2026, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen and ICU nurse, was killed during a confrontation with ICE agents in Minneapolis while filming and assisting a protester. Multiple shots were fired in what federal authorities described as defensive action by agents (Encylopedia Britannica).
In early February, 2026, The Trump administration announced a partial withdrawal of 700 ICE and CBP agents from Minnesota, reducing the surge to roughly 2,000 agents (CNN). On February 10, 2026, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons agreed during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing to release body camera footage from agents operating in Minnesota to improve transparency in response to public and political pressure (New York Post). ICE leadership defended the federal deportation campaign at a House hearing, facing criticism about excessive force and oversight shortcomings; additional hearings were scheduled (MPR News).
(This content was created with assistance from generative AI. The content has been reviewed and edited by a human.)
Date of event: December 1, 2025 – ?
Impact:
- Over 4,000 arrests made by Federal Officers (DHS)
- Confirmed 2 fatalities (ABC News)
- Multiple reports of violent interactions and harm to civilians and federal agents (Wikipedia), at least two confirmed serious injuries to civilians: shooting/leg wound (MPR News); skull fractures (AP News)
- Full deportation data unknown, but being monitored (Star Tribune)
Related Resources:
- Humanitarian Parole: DHS Identified Fraud Risks in Parole Processes for Noncitizens and Should Assess Lessons Learned, Report to Congressional Requesters
- Torture and Enforced Disappearances in the Sunshine State: Human Rights Violations at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and Krome in Florida
- Cooperation Between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies
- Immigration Arrests in the Interior of the United States: A Primer [Updated June 13, 2025]
- [Testimony of Todd M. Lyons, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director, Oversight Hearing on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Before the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, May 14, 2025]
HSDL Featured Topics: Immigration | Policing Protests | Border Security
HSDL Search: Immigration and Customs Enforcement | Homeland Security and Protests