Jun 18, 2026·Minneapolis, MN·
Operation Metro Surge, a Trump administration ICE enforcement operation in Minneapolis and St. Paul from December 2025 to March 2026, resulted in approximately 3,700 to 4,000 arrests and roughly 1,700 deportations of undocumented immigrants. Federal data showed 60-75 percent of those arrested had no criminal records. ICE detained more than 70 children during the operation, some as young as 2 years old, with over 30 transferred to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas and nearly two dozen held over 20 days in violation of legal settlement terms. In January 2026, federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens—Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37—who were protesting the operation. Despite the stated initial focus on Somali immigrants, only 2 of the 1,700 deported were sent to Somalia, with the majority deported to Mexico and Ecuador. Most arrested immigrants were detained at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minnesota before being transferred to Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. Victor Manuel Díaz, a Nicaraguan man, died at Camp East Montana; ICE attributed his death to suicide, though his family disputed the claim. Community protests and volunteer networks tracked ICE agents, with lawyers filing over 1,000 habeas corpus petitions challenging detentions—immigration judges ordered detention releases in a majority of cases. By late February, hundreds of agents were withdrawn amid growing backlash. In the months following, immigrant communities and businesses in Minneapolis experienced severe economic disruption, with an estimated $610 million in combined revenue loss for Twin Cities businesses, alongside job losses, wage decreases, mounting debt, and mental health challenges.