Operation Metro Surge: DHS Publicizes Arrests of Convicted Sex Offenders as Minnesota Democrats Denounce Raids
DHS and Border Patrol publicized arrests in "Operation Metro Surge," releasing a curated list of detainees — including convicted sex offenders and other prior offenders — and framing the sweep as taking the "worst of the worst" off the streets, a narrative Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin tied to local non‑cooperation with ICE detainers and that has been echoed by the White House and GOP surrogates; Minnesota Democrats and local officials have denounced the raids as politically toxic and say they have terrified communities, with Hmong businesses reporting 60–70% revenue losses and residents saying children are being kept home. The enforcement wave has been marked by violent incidents and contested law‑enforcement accounts: DHS alleges a protester bit off an HSI officer’s finger and officials described assaults on officers, while CBP told Congress two officers fired in the fatal Alex Pretti encounter even as internal reports do not allege Pretti fired his weapon and note irregular handling of his handgun.
📌 Key Facts
- DHS publicized arrests as part of Operation Metro Surge and gave Fox News a curated list of six named individuals arrested 'just yesterday' with prior convictions including sex crimes involving minors, domestic violence, and drug trafficking; Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino held a press conference defending the Minneapolis‑area operations as removing 'the worst of the worst.'
- Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and other DHS/Border Patrol leaders have framed the arrests as proof that Minnesota's non‑cooperation with ICE detainers endangers public safety; that messaging is being amplified by the White House and GOP surrogates online.
- DHS and Border Patrol officials have escalated rhetoric about protesters—publicly labeling them 'rioters' and alleging violent confrontations, including a DHS claim (publicized by McLaughlin on X) that a Minneapolis protester bit off an HSI officer’s finger.
- St. Paul’s Hmong community reports widespread fear and daily‑life disruption: the mayor said residents are 'afraid to leave their homes,' parents say they tell children to lock doors and stay inside, and businesses such as Hmong Village reported multi‑day emptiness and 60–70% revenue losses—effects Minnesota Democrats say make the operation politically toxic.
- CBP provided Congress its first detailed written account of the encounter that led to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during Operation Metro Surge, describing whistle‑blowing, OC‑spray deployment, a struggle, and a disputed gun shout; CBP OPR confirmed two federal officers discharged their weapons.
- The CBP account does not allege that Alex Pretti pointed, drew, or fired his weapon, directly contradicting earlier DHS/Border Patrol rhetoric that portrayed him as attempting a 'massacre' or acting like an 'assassin.'
- The report documents apparent evidence‑handling irregularities: Pretti’s handgun was removed from the scene by a Border Patrol agent and placed in a vehicle without any mention of at‑scene photography or chain‑of‑custody logging.
- Congress‑directed documentation states that one officer yelled 'He's got a gun!' multiple times immediately before shots were fired in the Pretti encounter.
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
11:11 PM
DHS tells Congress 2 federal officers fired shots during encounter that killed Alex Pretti
New information:
- Adds specific CBP OPR confirmation that in the Pretti incident, two separate federal officers discharged weapons, a fact not in the broader raid‑focused coverage.
- Provides Congress‑directed documentation that one officer yelled 'He’s got a gun!' multiple times immediately before shots were fired.
10:32 PM
2 agents fired their weapons during Alex Pretti shooting, report to Congress says
New information:
- Provides CBP’s first detailed, written account to Congress of the specific encounter that ended in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during Operation Metro Surge, including the whistle‑blowing, OC‑spray deployment, struggle and disputed gun shout.
- Directly contradicts the most inflammatory portions of earlier DHS and Border Patrol rhetoric portraying Pretti as attempting a 'massacre' or acting like an 'assassin', because the internal report nowhere alleges he pointed, drew or fired his weapon.
- Documents that a key piece of physical evidence, Pretti’s handgun, was removed from the scene by a Border Patrol agent and placed in a vehicle without any mention of at‑scene photography or chain‑of‑custody logging, amplifying prior CBS reporting on irregular evidence handling during the surge.
January 24, 2026
10:11 PM
Anti-ICE agitator allegedly bites off federal officer's finger during Minneapolis attack
New information:
- Within the broader Operation Metro Surge enforcement wave, DHS now alleges a Minneapolis protester bit off an HSI officer’s finger, as publicized by Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on X.
- Border Patrol leadership is publicly characterizing protesters at the shooting scene as 'rioters' who assaulted and obstructed officers, raising the rhetorical temperature around opposition to the raids.
January 23, 2026
7:04 PM
Convicted pedophiles, sex predators arrested in Minnesota immigration sweep within the last 24 hours
New information:
- Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino held a news conference specifically to defend Minneapolis‑area operations and brand recent arrests as taking 'worst of the worst' off the streets.
- DHS gives Fox a curated list of six named individuals arrested 'just yesterday' with prior convictions ranging from sex crimes involving minors to domestic violence and drug trafficking.
- McLaughlin explicitly links these arrests to her broader claim that Minnesota’s non‑cooperation with ICE detainers is endangering the public, a talking point now being echoed by the White House and GOP surrogates online.
January 22, 2026
2:12 AM
St. Paul mayor says city's Hmong community "afraid to leave their homes" due to ICE
New information:
- Provides concrete local economic fallout — multi‑day emptiness and 60–70% revenue losses at Hmong Village — that helps explain why Minnesota Democrats see Operation Metro Surge as politically toxic.
- Shows a newly installed big‑city mayor personally carrying her passport and saying naturalized‑citizen relatives are 'more afraid now than they were fighting communism in Laos,' sharpening the civil‑rights stakes beyond abstract party messaging.
- Documents parents’ reports that they tell children to lock doors behind them and not leave the house while they are at work, indicating daily‑life disruption beyond protest events and high‑profile arrests.