Walz, Frey press Homan to end Metro Surge
Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have pressed Tom Homan to end the ICE "Metro Surge," urging federal immigration authorities to withdraw units operating in the Twin Cities. The dispute has tangible local consequences: on Nicollet Avenue restaurants and shops opened as ad hoc warming centers and medical triage sites after a Minneapolis resident was killed by federal immigration agents, and business owners say they are exhausted and unsure how to keep operating amid the threat of further raids and violence, underscoring how federal use of force has turned storefronts into front‑line response space.
📌 Key Facts
- A Minneapolis resident was killed by federal immigration agents on Nicollet Avenue’s Eat Street.
- In the minutes and hours after the killing, restaurants and shops along Nicollet Avenue opened their doors as ad hoc warming centers and medical triage sites.
- Business owners along the corridor report being exhausted and unsure how to keep operating under the threat of further violence and raids.
- The incident has grounded the political fight over the Metro Surge in this specific commercial corridor.
- The report notes that federal use of force has effectively turned private storefronts into front-line response space.
- These details were reported by the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal on January 27, 2026.
📊 Relevant Data
The total criminal conviction rate for undocumented immigrants in Texas from 2012 to 2018 was 45% lower than that of native-born Americans, with homicide conviction rates 15% lower for undocumented immigrants.
No, undocumented immigrant crime rate isn't higher as Trump claimed — congress.gov
Immigrants contribute approximately $26 billion to Minnesota's economy annually, helping to make it healthy and affordable through their labor and entrepreneurship.
Economist: Immigrants contribute $26 billion to Minnesota's economy — MPR News
Venezuelan migration to the US is driven by political instability, economic collapse, and humanitarian crises in Venezuela, leading to grants of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible Venezuelans.
Venezuelans in Minnesota fear rollback of TPS — Sahan Journal
There have been 16 shooting incidents involving US immigration agents in the first weeks of Trump's second term as of January 7, 2026, resulting in four deaths and at least seven injuries.
US immigration agents shot at people 16 times under Trump's second term — The Guardian
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Details that on Nicollet Avenue’s Eat Street, restaurants and shops opened their doors as ad hoc warming centers and medical triage sites in the minutes and hours after a Minneapolis resident was killed by federal immigration agents.
- Business owners along the corridor are now exhausted and unsure how to keep operating under the threat of more violence and raids in front of their doors.
- This piece grounds the political fight over Metro Surge in a specific commercial corridor, showing how federal use of force has literally turned private storefronts into front‑line response space.