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Operation Metro Surge — 2,000 Federal Agents Deployed to Twin Cities

Overview

On January 6, 2026, DHS deployed 2,000 federal agents to the Twin Cities metropolitan area — the largest immigration enforcement operation ever deployed to a single metro area.

Civilian Deaths

Two US citizens were killed by federal agents during the operation:

  • Renee Good — killed January 7, 2026, shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross
  • Alex Pretti — killed January 24, 2026, shot by CBP officers. Pretti was a VA intensive care nurse.

Mass Resistance

On January 23, 2026, an estimated 50,000-75,000 people marched through minus-20-degree weather in Minneapolis. Labor unions, faith leaders, and immigrant communities shut down the Twin Cities. Over 100 religious leaders were arrested in civil disobedience. Daily direct action continued for 6+ weeks.

  • AG Keith Ellison filed federal lawsuit (January 31, 2026) against DHS/ICE, arguing the operation was unconstitutional under the 10th Amendment
  • Minneapolis and St. Paul joined the suit
  • Lawfare described it as “Minnesota’s compelling 10th Amendment case against Trump’s ICE surge”

Key Organizations

  • MIRAC (Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee) — shifted to direct action, raised $750K+ for impacted families, lobbying for statewide 287(g) ban
  • ICOM (Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration) — Accompanying Immigrants in Detention program
  • ACLU-MN — won Freeborn County 287(g) injunction, litigation strategy
  • UMN Graduate Labor Union, AFSCME Local 3800 — part of organizing coalition

Sources

Updates (2026-05-28)

Aftermath and quantified harm. Operation Metro Surge wound down in February 2026, but DHS officials confirmed fewer than 500 ICE agents remain in Minnesota — still roughly 3x the pre-surge level.

Deportations. As of early May 2026, about half of the ~3,700 immigrants detained during the surge had been deported, leaving behind families that depended on them (MPR News, May 7, 2026).

April 21, 2026 lawsuit update (AG + Minneapolis + St. Paul). New data filed in the federal case:

  • $240M in lost wages ($189.2M Minneapolis, $54.6M St. Paul)
  • $610M in lost business revenue ($444.8M Minneapolis, $165.4M St. Paul); 60-61% of businesses reported negative operational impacts
  • UCSD survey of 1,390 residents (~25% had DHS encounters): 62% of Minneapolis residents with DHS encounters missed medical appointments (vs. 12.8% without); 66.2% avoided urgent care; 70.5% less likely to seek police help in future; 73.1% reported agents did not show warrants; 22.7% reported warrantless home entry.
  • CBS Minnesota separately reported the surge “drained more than $600 million from Minnesota’s economy.”

Litigation status. Judge Katherine Menendez denied Minnesota’s request for a preliminary injunction (late Jan 2026), finding plaintiffs had not shown likelihood of success, while accepting the factual showing of fatal shootings, misconduct, and economic/health/education disruption (“difficult to overstate” the impact). The suit proceeds; the amended complaint seeks a declaration that the operation was unlawful.

Criminal accountability. See minnesota-ice-agent-prosecutions-2026 — ICE Agent Christian Castro charged May 18, 2026 with assault; Hennepin County’s Transparency and Accountability Project expanded from 17 to 30 cases.

Updates (2026-06-05)

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Last updated: Jul 3, 2026