Border czar says 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota; "small force" to remain

Hundreds are marching through Minneapolis Monday afternoon as part of the nationwide Day Out for Democracy.

Led locally by the AFL-CIO, dozens of labor unions, faith and community groups, small business owners and others are on a mile-long march from Stewart Park near Children's Minnesota to Alex Pretti's memorial site off Nicollet Avenue and East 26th Street.

Organizers have several demands, including an immediate mass exit of federal officers, justice and accountability for Pretti, Renee Good and all victims of Operation Metro Surge, and a restoration of the Biden-era policy that barred immigration arrests from occurring in locations like schools and places of worship.

Democratic Minnesota lawmakers gathered at the State Capitol on Presidents Day to urge their Republican colleagues to stand against federal immigration actions, and what they call President Trump's "abuse of power."

DFL Party members were joined by some Minnesotans who they say "have been harmed" by the actions of federal immigration officers during Operation Metro Surge, including some Republican constituents.

Sen. Erin Maye Quade said the surge has not ended despite border czar Tom Homan's claim last week.

"We are still having our neighbors kidnapped. We are still having observers being aggressively targeted and people being detained. This has brought generational devastation. This is something that Trump and Republicans have brought because Republicans in Minnesota will not stand up to him," Maye Quade said. "Despite the messaging of the drawdown, this is not over."

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Protesters gathered in northeast Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon to say they don't trust that a drawdown of federal agents is actually coming.

The protest, organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and other groups, was held at Jackson Square Park. Organizers are calling for people to keep fighting federal immigration actions.

"They want us to believe that the occupation is over when we see it in full swing in our own neighborhoods," said the committee's Myrka Zambrano. "They want to kidnap people quietly, and they want us to fall back. They want us to get comfortable. Let me make something very clear — the fight is not over."

Protesters called for all federal agents to leave Minneapolis, as well as for the release of detainees and for local officials to ban agreements that grant local law enforcement power to act as federal immigration officers.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says she will be sending a letter this week to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to demand they turn over evidence in the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti by immigration officers in south Minneapolis.

Moriarty has already sent a letter with the same demands for the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good, also in south Minneapolis, by ICE officer Jonathan Ross. Moriarty says the response deadline in that case is set for Tuesday.

Moriarty has been investigating those two cases — as well as the shooting of a Venezuelan national in north Minneapolis on Jan. 14 — without federal assistance.

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White House border czar Tom Homan said that while he doesn't like that federal immigration enforcement officers agents wear masks, he believes they need to wear masks to protect themselves against threats and violence.

"I don't like the masks either," Homan said in an interview with Ed O'Keefe on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sunday. 

Homan said assaults against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have increased by 1,500% while threats against them have increased by 8,000%. The Department of Homeland Security said in a Jan. 26 news release that assaults against ICE officers had increased by more than 1,300%. Neither Homan nor the release gave a timeframe for that surge, nor did they give a source for the assault and threat claims. 

"These men and women have to protect themselves," he said. 

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On the same day that federal officials announced the end of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, a nightmare began for a family in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights.

Early Thursday afternoon, a security camera captured Jesus Flores leaving his home to help people on the street suffering from apparent car trouble. 

Moments later, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swarmed his driveway. 

"[They] tricked him into coming outside," said Flores' son, Miguel. 

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William Convery, director of research at the Minnesota Historical Society, says the state has a long history of protest.

"You can go all the way back to the 1870s, when farmers banded together to protest monopolies and railroads," Convery said.

That effort to organize carried into 1934, when the Minneapolis Teamsters faced off against their employers, and later the police. The bloody strike was a turning point in U.S. history.

"During a protest, the police opened fire on the strikers, shooting nearly 70 strikers, killing two," Convery said. "Most of the 67 others who were wounded were mostly shot in the back."

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In an emotional reunion in Minnesota, a mother returned home to her 2-year-old after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests split up their family and left her toddler in the care of a family friend.

Before Scarlett got to see her mom again, excitement filled the room.

"Are you excited?" WCCO asked her in Spanish. 

"Yes!" Scarlett responded.

It was weeks and weeks of anticipation.

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The financial fallout from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations is a costly one. 

City officials in Minneapolis estimate the impact to be $203 million for January alone. That includes tens of millions of dollars in lost wages for people afraid to go to work and revenue losses for businesses.

One nonprofit ready to assist with recovery efforts is the Minneapolis Foundation. It created the Economic Response Fund to distribute $4 million in grants to businesses that faced disruptions statewide. Those who apply could get up to between $2,500 to $10,000.

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A woman and two men have been indicted on federal charges stemming from clashes with federal officers in Minneapolis. 

The 18-year-old woman was indicted Thursday on charges of threatening to murder a federal law enforcement officer, threatening to murder a federal law enforcement officer's family member and interstate transmission of a threat to injure a person. The indictment alleges she left voice messages on the FBI agent's phone threatening to kill them and their spouse and child.

The woman hasn't entered a plea yet, and her attorney said they were waiting to receive evidence from the government so they can evaluate the case. The attorney noted the woman lives in Washington state and has never been to Minnesota.  

"There is no allegation that she took any steps whatsoever to carry out any of these threats or come within a thousand miles of the agent," the attorney said.

A 45-year-old man was indicted on five counts of interstate transmission of threats to injure a person, and a 29-year-old man was indicted on one count of the same charge. Both are accused of sending threatening text messages to FBI employees.

Attorneys for both men did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment. Neither man has had the opportunity to enter a plea.

Operation Metro Surge, which sent a record number of immigration agents to Minnesota, may be nearing its end, but nonprofits that receive calls for assistance say there will likely be ripple effects felt for weeks and months to come. 

HOME Line, which has a free legal hotline for renters, said January was its busiest month ever for new people reaching out by phone and email with questions. 

Compared to the same time period last year, there was a 116% spike in inquiries about financial aid.

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City officials in Minneapolis say they haven't made "deals or concessions" with the federal government or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to end Operation Metro Surge. 

The city said in a written statement on Friday afternoon that it's "committed" to its separation ordinance, which states that it will not agree to participate in enforcing federal immigration laws.

The ordinance also prevents ICE from using city-owned parking lots and ramps in Minneapolis.

Todd Lyons, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused two federal agents of lying under oath regarding the mid-January shooting of a Venezuelan national in Minneapolis.

The two officers have been placed on administrative leave and an internal investigation is underway, Lyons said in his statement. 

"The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct. Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated," Lyons said.  

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Several people charged in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church whose pastor served as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon in St. Paul.

Journalist Don Lemon, who is being represented by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy against the right of religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.  

Local activists Chauntyll Allen and Nekima Levy Armstrong and two others also pleaded not guilty during Friday's hearing.

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Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said that despite claims by federal officials, her department has not entered into any new agreement with the government regarding immigration enforcement in jails.

Witt said she'd met with border czar Tom Homan four times since his arrival in Minneapolis. During that time she was "not pressured" to change the way the county jail operates, Witt said at a press conference on Friday.

She said her department is still following Attorney General Keith Ellison's legal opinion, published in December, which states that agreements made by state and local governments cannot permit law enforcement to detain a person solely on the basis of a civil immigration detainer. 

Witt said she felt "significant relief" after Homan announced that Operation Metro Surge would conclude, but added that her office is left with the burden of restoring trust in local law enforcement.

"In many ways, the real work begins now. Trust in law enforcement has been shaken, especially for our local authorities," she said.

For weeks, deputies from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office have been on site at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building near Fort Snelling, which has become the epicenter for daily anti-immigration enforcement protests. There is no offramp yet for the Whipple building detail, but Witt said that as long as there are protests, deputies will also be in the area.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel issued the emergency restraining order Thursday, finding detainees at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building faced so many logistical barriers to contacting legal counsel that it was likely the Department of Homeland Security had stepped on their constitutional rights.

The order is temporary, and will last for two weeks unless the judge extends it.

"It appears that in planning for Operation Metro Surge, the government failed to plan for the constitutional rights of its civil detainees," Brasel wrote in the 41-page ruling. She rejected arguments by DHS attorneys that suggested changes to improve access would lead to "chaos."

"The Constitution does not permit the government to arrest thousands of individuals and then disregard their constitutional rights because it would be too challenging to honor those rights," she wrote.

WCCO has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. 

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The Justice Department moved to drop federal charges against two men charged with assaulting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minneapolis last month, including one Venezuelan defendant who was shot in the leg by an officer, citing "newly discovered evidence" that was "materially inconsistent" with the allegations against them.

The filing, entered Thursday by U.S. Attorney in Minnesota Daniel Rosen, moves to dismiss the charges against the men with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be reintroduced.

In January, the two men, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, were charged in a federal criminal complaint with forcibly assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers in performance of their official duties. The charges came after Sosa-Celis was shot by an ICE officer, which drew nationwide attention amid the federal immigration surge in Minnesota.

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Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty questioned whether the surge is truly ending in a statement issued Thursday.

"We receive the news of the alleged end of Operation Metro Surge with some skepticism. Questions should be asked and answered about the exact nature of the cooperation with ICE supposedly promised by local and state officials, who were already providing all information and cooperation required by law.

"Anyone who has witnessed this occupation in our community, or seen the footage online, knows that none of this has made us safer, as the federal government is claiming. Instead, it has caused irreparable damage to our community. Alex Pretti and Renee Good are no longer with their families. Children are traumatized and afraid to go to school. Small businesses are closing. And many of our immigrant neighbors, often with no criminal records, have been forcibly removed from our community.

"We continue our efforts to investigate multiple actions by federal agents during this occupation. This office will be deliberate, and we will not waver. Our community will not forget and nor will we. This morning, Homan thanked law enforcement for arresting people he referred to as agitators. Let me be clear - we will not be used by the federal government to prosecute people who are exercising their 1st amendment rights. Every case submitted to us for a person arrested for exercising their 1st amendments rights has been dismissed.

"If the federal government is really ending this occupation, the reason is that Minnesotans resisted in countless nonviolent ways. This community continues to show inspirational energy and strength in caring for neighbors. Our immigrant community has demonstrated incredible courage.

"To the people of Hennepin County: You are owed a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid for showing the federal government and the nation just how much you care for your neighbors and our democracy."

Attorney General Keith Ellison said the end of the federal surge, if it comes to pass, "is a victory," but it does nothing to erase the damage already done.

"The end of Operation Metro Surge, when it materializes, will be welcome news. Tragically, the surge is ending too late for Renee Good and Alex Pretti and all who loved them. It is ending too late for Liam Conejo Ramos and the other children who will have to live with the trauma of their detention. It is ending too late for everyone who was wrongfully and illegally detained. It is ending too late for Minnesotans who have endured racial profiling, for businesses that have closed, for children that couldn't go to school, for the people who have fallen behind on their rent because they couldn't safely go to work. This unprecedented, unnecessary, and unconstitutional exercise of force leaves much pain in its wake. 

"Despite the pain, make no mistake: this is a victory. This is a victory for the rule of law, for the power of clear-headed, creative, lawful resistance, and for the strength of unity over division.  

"The people of Minnesota ended the surge. Your voices, your dedication to peaceful protest, your documenting federal agents' abuses of power, and your commitment to protecting and providing for each other made this happen. In the face of Donald Trump's campaign of revenge and retribution against us, you stood strong, stood for the rule of law, and stood for what we believe in Minnesota: that we are stronger when we stand together, that we all do better when we all do better, and that everyone deserves to live with dignity, safety, and respect — no exceptions.  

"Now, our attention turns to healing and to ensuring that what happened here over the past several weeks can never happen again — not to us, and not to any state, city, or neighborhood in this country."

The attorney representing the family of Renee Good, the woman shot and killed by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis last month, says the planned drawdown does not absolve federal agents' previous conduct.

"We are cautiously optimistic about the drawdown of federal agents from Minnesota, and we are hopeful that it brings much needed relief to members of the community there," Antonio Romanucci said. "The nation will be watching to see if and where these agents are redeployed. The agents' departure from Minnesota does not dismiss the absolute need for accountability for their actions during Operation Metro Surge, and we are committed to seeking justice for our clients. Further, we remain deeply concerned about the continued presence of ICE in communities around the country and we urge for Constitutional conduct by federal agents across the board."

Rep. Betty McCollum issued a statement Thursday morning: 

"For months, the Trump administration has inflicted a reign of terror and chaos through Operation Metro Surge. The fact that the administration says that it 'yielded the results they came for' is a flashing red light warning to our entire nation. What are their results?" said McCollum. 

She said that it's "up to Congress and the courts to fix the mess that Trump has created," and said no other community in the country should experience "the carnage and lasting damage" that Minnesota has faced over the last few weeks.

Rep. Ilhan Omar reacted to border czar Tom Homan's announcement that Operation Metro Surge is ending, with agents expected to leave the state next week.

"Operation 'Metro Surge' has exposed just how far ICE is willing to go to intimidate and terrorize Black, Brown, and immigrant communities in our state. Nearly all Somalis in Minnesota are citizens, yet ICE agents harassed residents demanding proof of papers and, when citizens sought to document these unlawful stops, they were met with lethal force," said Omar. "Latino, Asian, and other communities of color were forced into hiding regardless of their status, and those who dared to live their lives, were often arrested with no cause. That was not public safety. That was an authoritarian abuse of power."

Omar called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement "so that no community in America is ever terrorized like this again."

United Nations experts warn that the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis could amount to extrajudicial killing.

The U.N. argued that any loss of life in law enforcement operations must be treated as potentially unlawful and requires a prompt and effective investigation.

The experts called on U.S. authorities to ensure accountability for any unlawful killings and human rights violations, and to provide effective remedies for victims and their families. They warned that without immediate de-escalation, respect for the right to life, and clear accountability, tensions could escalate into broader violence. 

"We are deeply concerned about statements made by some senior officials characterising victims as "domestic terrorists" and publicly asserting that the use of lethal force was necessary," the U.N. release said. "Such statements, made prior to the completion of an independent and impartial investigation, risk prejudging key factual and legal questions, undermining public confidence, and influencing investigative outcomes. Authorities must refrain from statements that could compromise the independence and impartiality of the investigation."

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her on Thursday signed a City Council ordinance requiring federal law enforcement to wear identification on their uniforms while in the city.

The ID must include the name of their agency and their name or badge number.

Her also responded to Homan's announcement.

"Any announcement of a drawdown or end to Operation Metro Surge must be followed by real action. Last week, we were told ICE would be reducing its presence in Minnesota. Yet yesterday, we witnessed a reckless high-speed chase in a densely populated, heavily visited part of our city—one that, thankfully, did not end in something far worse.

"Regardless of any announced drawdown, we will continue moving forward with our work: setting clear expectations and demanding better for our residents. That's why today I signed a new ordinance for greater transparency from federal law enforcement.

"Federal law enforcement officers have too often used generic 'police' uniforms to obscure their identities and avoid being clearly identified by the agencies they represent. This practice has created confusion, eroded trust, and strained relationships between our community and local law enforcement.

"With this new ordinance, we are establishing clear rules of engagement and insisting on greater transparency from federal authorities. Our residents deserve to know who is operating in their city simply by looking at them. Transparency is essential to accountability—and accountability is essential to protecting the rights and safety of our community."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor of Minnesota, reacted to Homan's announcement:

"Minnesotans stood together, stared down ICE, and never blinked. Our state has shown the world how to protect our democracy and take care of our neighbors. ICE withdrawing from Minnesota is just the beginning. We need accountability for the lives lost and the extraordinary abuses of power at the hands of ICE agents, and we must see a complete overhaul of the agency."

In a news conference about the state's economic recovery from Operation Metro Surge, Walz said he is "cautiously optimistic" about the announcement of its conclusion.

Walz said Operation Metro Surge — which at its peak saw 3,000 federal agents across Minnesota and has led to over 4,000 arrests — was "an unprecedented federal invasion in all aspects of life" and "unlike anything we've witnessed." 

"And through that entire time, the dignity, the compassion, the love, the care and the absolute determination to do what is right never wavered amongst Minnesotans," Walz said. "I think it's probably safe to say the rest of the country will be forever grateful because we showed what it means to stand up for what's right."

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Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer credited Homan and Mr. Trump for the announced end to the surge.

"Job well done, Tom Homan. Local law enforcement is now cooperating with federal law enforcement in Tim Walz's Minnesota, thanks to President Trump's leadership. We are hopeful that this partnership will continue—without local or state interference—to ensure the worst of the worst are being removed from our communities."   

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is running for Senate, also issued a statement Thursday morning.

"I'm relieved that this violent paramilitary force will be removed from our streets, but I won't believe it until they're actually gone. Minnesotans stood together against this chaos and cruelty. We never gave up on our neighbors. 

"But I will never — EVER — forget nor forgive the fear, violence, and chaos the federal government has laid on our doorstep. ICE has killed two Minnesotans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. and harmed so many more. Our children, like little Liam and Chloe have been targeted and traumatized. I will never forget the terrified looks on their faces. Our schools, our small businesses, and our churches have been targeted, closed, and harmed forever. 

"This is the first step in many to truly get justice for Minnesota. We must rip apart this agency that operates outside the law. The government must restore and repair what's been broken. Minnesotans deserve justice and accountability, and I won't stop until we get it."

Walz's initial response to Homan's announcement:

"The long road to recovery starts now.

"The impact on our economy, our schools, and people's lives won't be reversed overnight. That work starts today."

Frey's statement:

"They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation. These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it's not just about resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American.

"This operation has been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses, and now it's time for a great comeback. We will show the same commitment to our immigrant residents and endurance in this reopening, and I'm hopeful the whole country will stand with us as we move forward together."