VP Vance visit coincides with ICE, Border Patrol and DOC surge briefings
Vice President J.D. Vance will be in Minneapolis Thursday to speak about ICE operations, hold a roundtable and join a joint ICE/Border Patrol press briefing on Operation Metro Surge, with FOX 9 carrying his remarks and the federal briefings live. His visit coincides with a Minnesota Department of Corrections public response on ICE detainers, setting up a clash between the administration’s assertion that the state is obstructing enforcement and state officials’ contention that DOC already coordinates on releases.
📌 Key Facts
- VP Vance will speak about ICE operations and hold a roundtable in Minneapolis on Thursday, appearing alongside an ICE and Border Patrol press conference rather than as an isolated political stop.
- FOX 9 Minneapolis–St. Paul will carry Vance's remarks and the federal briefings live.
- The live, local coverage signals the administration's intent to use Twin Cities media as a national stage for Operation Metro Surge messaging.
- Vance's visit coincides with a scheduled public response from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) on ICE detainers.
- The timing sharpens a clash between Vance's claim that Minnesota is obstructing federal immigration enforcement and state officials' contention that the DOC already coordinates on all releases.
📊 Relevant Data
Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis targets the 'worst of the worst' criminal illegal aliens, including rapists, armed robbers, drug traffickers, and members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
DHS Highlights Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens Arrested Yesterday During Operation Metro Surge Including Rapists, Armed Robbers, and Drug Traffickers — Department of Homeland Security
Somali immigrants in Minnesota have been overrepresented in fraud scandals, with the Feeding Our Future case involving the theft of over $250 million in federal funds intended for child nutrition programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Fraud Swamped Minnesota's Social Services System — The New York Times
Somali immigrants in Minnesota commit more crime than natives, with higher rates of involvement in violent and property crimes per capita.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and pay about $67 million in state and local taxes.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
Minnesota's Somali population is the largest in the U.S., with approximately 87% of foreign-born Somalis in the state being naturalized citizens or refugees resettled through historical policies dating back to the 1990s.
5 things to know about the Somali community in Minnesota after Trump's attacks — PBS NewsHour
Federal agents, including ICE officers, are protected by qualified immunity, which shields them from civil lawsuits if their actions do not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights, but they do not have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution.
Qualified Immunity — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has expanded to the United States, with members involved in crimes such as armed robbery and drug trafficking, and ICE has arrested active members during Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.
'Worst of the worst' criminal migrants arrested in Minnesota: Trump — New York Post
The fraud scandals in Minnesota, predominantly involving Somali immigrants, were enabled by misreading of poverty levels and concentrated resettlement, leading to over $1 billion in fraudulent claims across social services.
How Misreading Somali Poverty Led Minnesota into Its Largest Welfare Scandal — American Enterprise Institute
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Specifies that Vance will "speak about ICE operations and hold a round table" in Minneapolis on Thursday along with the ICE/BP press conference, rather than an isolated political stop.
- Confirms FOX 9 will carry his remarks and the federal briefings live, underlining the administration’s intent to use Twin Cities media as a national stage for Operation Metro Surge messaging.
- Frames Vance’s appearance explicitly as part of a day when DOC will publicly respond on ICE detainers, sharpening the clash between his line that Minnesota is obstructing and state officials’ contention that DOC already coordinates on all releases.