On Feb. 5, 2026, a day after the federal government said it would remove 700 law enforcement officers from the Twin Cities, many Minneapolis–Saint Paul residents said they continued to see frequent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. Community members reported early-morning raids, arrests near schools and suburban sightings, and locals said the visible presence of agents has not noticeably declined. Officials say the broader campaign, called Operation Metro Surge, began more than two months earlier and the Department of Homeland Security reports it has resulted in over 4,000 arrests. At the same time, the White House border czar Tom Homan said more than 2,000 immigration agents still remain in the region and gave no timetable for a full drawdown.
Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration announced the planned removal of 700 federal officers from Minnesota on Feb. 4–5, 2026, but on-the-ground reports indicate continued ICE activity.
- Tom Homan, identified as the White House border czar, stated that more than 2,000 immigration agents remain deployed in the Twin Cities.
- The Department of Homeland Security says Operation Metro Surge began over two months ago and has generated more than 4,000 arrests to date.
- Residents and organizers reported early-morning raids, videos of apartment raids, and arrests near schools and homes across Minneapolis and its suburbs.
- The number of federal agents sent to the Twin Cities exceeded deployments in major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, according to local officials and community groups.
- Two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal agents in separate Minneapolis incidents in January, a development that has heightened local concern and scrutiny.
Background
Operation Metro Surge is a concentrated federal enforcement initiative that began more than two months before Feb. 5, 2026, targeting suspected immigration violations in the Twin Cities metro area. The operation pulls personnel from across federal immigration and border enforcement agencies and is part of a broader national emphasis on interior immigration enforcement under the current administration. Local officials and community groups have repeatedly criticized the scale and tactics of the deployment, saying the number of agents and the methods used differ from past operations in other large cities. Comparisons drawn by residents and local leaders describe the Twin Cities deployment as larger, in relative terms, than operations previously carried out in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Federal authorities frame the surge as a law-enforcement effort aimed at arrests of individuals with certain immigration-related charges or criminal records; DHS reports the operation has produced more than 4,000 arrests. State and municipal leaders, however, have expressed alarm about the visible presence of federal teams in neighborhoods, near schools and within suburban communities. Community organizers have documented sweeps and sightings on messaging apps and social media, and those reports have shaped local perceptions of ongoing risk. The January deaths of two U.S. citizens during encounters with federal agents—Renee Good and Alex Pretti—have intensified demands for clarity and accountability.
Main Event
A day after federal officials announced a plan to scale back hundreds of officers, residents in Minneapolis reported continued ICE activity across the city and suburbs. Videos circulated online showing what community members described as an early-morning apartment raid involving more than a dozen federal agents, and local officials said officers were observed making arrests in residential areas as well as near schools. Organizers and neighbors said sightings shared on Signal and other neighborhood channels remained frequent, suggesting people on the ground perceived little immediate change.
Tom Homan, serving as the White House border czar, acknowledged that while the administration had discussed removing 700 officers from Minnesota, more than 2,000 agents still remain in the Twin Cities area. He did not provide a timeline for a full withdrawal. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the operation has been active for several months and reported the arrest tally has exceeded 4,000, framing the deployment as an enforcement success by that metric.
Local residents described tangible disruptions to daily life. Eric Wojchik, a 50-year-old Minneapolis city planner, said headlines about agents leaving did not match what he observes on the street: he has altered driving routes and social plans and spends time checking for agents in his neighborhood. Community leaders say the deployment’s scale and tactics have eroded trust between residents and law enforcement and prompted calls for more oversight and transparency about federal activity in the region.
Analysis & Implications
The gap between official statements about a partial drawdown and persistent on-the-ground sightings underscores a communication problem between federal authorities and local communities. Quantitative milestones—such as the removal of 700 officers—are hard to verify in real time without clear public reporting on unit-by-unit movements, assignment durations and mission priorities. That opacity fuels skepticism among residents who continue to encounter enforcement teams and see little tangible change.
Politically, the deployment and its aftermath have consequences for local and national actors. For municipal leaders, sustained federal activity raises questions about jurisdiction, coordination and community safety; for federal officials, high arrest counts can be presented as operational success. The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January add a legal and reputational dimension that may lead to inquiries, civil suits or policy scrutiny, particularly if investigations find procedural lapses or excessive use of force.
From a social perspective, the visible presence of hundreds or thousands of federal agents alters everyday behavior and may deter community cooperation with local authorities, especially among immigrant populations. Economically, prolonged large-scale deployments carry costs in personnel, logistics and potential legal liabilities; politically, they can shape voter perceptions ahead of elections and influence debates over federal immigration strategy. Internationally, concentrated interior enforcement in U.S. cities may affect perceptions of U.S. immigration policy and its balance between border control and civil liberties.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | Reported Figure |
|---|---|
| Promised officer reduction | 700 |
| Reported agents remaining (Tom Homan) | More than 2,000 |
| Arrests attributed to Operation Metro Surge (DHS) | More than 4,000 |
| Operation duration as of Feb. 5, 2026 | More than two months |
| Deaths linked to federal agents in Minneapolis (January) | 2 U.S. citizens (Renee Good, Alex Pretti) |
The table aggregates publicly stated figures from federal officials and reporting up to Feb. 5, 2026. It does not resolve discrepancies between announced force reductions and local observations of activity. Comparative assertions that the Twin Cities deployment exceeded those in Los Angeles or Chicago are described by local leaders and community groups; DHS has not published a line-by-line city-by-city personnel breakdown in the public statements cited here.
Reactions & Quotes
Federal officials emphasized the operation’s arrest totals while offering limited operational detail; local residents and organizers said the visible presence of agents persisted despite the announcement of reductions.
“More than 2,000 immigration agents still remain in the Twin Cities area,”
Tom Homan, White House border czar
Homan made the remark while addressing the status of the deployment and did not provide a timetable for a complete withdrawal, a point that left local officials and residents seeking more precise scheduling information.
“The operation has netted more than 4,000 arrests,”
Department of Homeland Security (official statement)
DHS cited the arrest total as a measure of the campaign’s activity; the department’s statement focused on enforcement outcomes rather than detailed unit movements or community safeguards.
“That’s not what we are experiencing here,”
Eric Wojchik, Minneapolis resident and city planner
Wojchik’s comment reflected skepticism among residents who reported altered daily routines and frequent sightings of federal agents, suggesting a disconnect between federal announcements and lived experience.
Unconfirmed
- Whether the promised removal of 700 officers reflects permanent departures, temporary reassignments, or reorganization of duties remains unclear from public statements.
- There is no publicly available, independently verified breakdown showing exact numbers of federal agents by agency and by neighborhood; reported counts rely on official statements and local sightings.
- Details about the January deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti—such as full investigative findings, body-camera footage availability and potential civil or criminal proceedings—had not been fully disclosed as of Feb. 5, 2026.
Bottom Line
As of Feb. 5, 2026, an announced federal reduction of 700 officers in Minnesota has not translated into a clear decrease in visible ICE activity in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Official tallies—more than 2,000 agents reportedly still in the area and over 4,000 arrests tied to Operation Metro Surge—point to a sustained enforcement footprint despite the administration’s statement about a partial drawdown.
The key questions going forward are procedural transparency and accountability: local leaders and residents are seeking precise timelines, documented changes in personnel deployments and answers about incidents that produced fatalities in January. Those demands will shape legal scrutiny, local political debate and community trust well beyond the immediate operational period.
Sources
- The New York Times — news report