Federal officials say fewer than 500 ICE agents remain in Minnesota after Metro Surge
Federal officials say fewer than 500 ICE agents now remain in Minnesota, down sharply from roughly 3,000 at the height of Operation Metro Surge and following a series of announced drawdowns that officials say have reduced the force by about 1,000 since Tom Homan’s initial pullback; the White House has presented the named "Metro Surge" as concluded. Gov. Tim Walz, who has pressed for an immediate end and called the presence an "occupation," expects the drawdown to happen in days and is preparing emergency grants, tax deferrals and licensing relief for Twin Cities businesses hurt by the surge, even as local leaders note that fewer than 500 agents still exceeds the pre‑surge federal immigration footprint.
📌 Key Facts
- Federal officials now say fewer than 500 ICE agents remain in Minnesota, down from roughly 3,000 at the height of Operation Metro Surge.
- About 1,000 surge agents have left since Tom Homan first announced a drawdown; Homan had earlier said on Feb. 4 that 700 federal officers were leaving, reflecting a sequence of withdrawals.
- Operation Metro Surge deployed roughly 3,000 federal officers in Minnesota since December.
- Tom Homan announced the conclusion of Operation Metro Surge, presenting the end of the named surge phase as White House‑sanctioned policy rather than only a governor’s projection.
- Federal officials characterize the remaining ICE presence as closer to 'normal' staffing but have not provided a baseline; local leaders and advocates remain skeptical, noting that 'fewer than 500' is still several times Minnesota’s pre‑surge federal immigration footprint.
- Gov. Tim Walz says he expects the surge to wind down 'in days, not weeks and months,' has spoken directly with Homan and Trump adviser Susie Wiles, describes the federal presence as an 'occupation' and is in 'trust but verify' mode about the drawdown.
- Walz is planning a package of emergency grants, tax deferrals and licensing relief for Twin Cities businesses hit by surge‑related losses, and officials say the declared end of the surge will shape how he frames small‑business relief and his legal strategy going forward.
📊 Relevant Data
Somali immigrants in Minnesota are overrepresented in Medicaid fraud cases, with a billion-dollar fraud scheme primarily perpetuated by members of this community, linked to misinterpretations of poverty data leading to lax oversight in social service programs.
How Misreading Somali Poverty Led Minnesota into Its Largest Welfare Scandal — American Enterprise Institute
Minnesota has resettled over 120,000 refugees from 1979 to 2025, with the state holding the fifth highest rate of refugee resettlement in the nation, driven by federal policies like the Refugee Act of 1980 and involvement of faith-based organizations such as the Minnesota Council of Churches.
Refugee and International Health Quarterly: January 2026 — Minnesota Department of Health
Median real wage growth in the U.S. has halved since the peak of unauthorized immigration, with even larger declines for workers who compete directly with unauthorized immigrants, based on data from 2010 to 2024.
Immigration can't explain declining employment growth — Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Undocumented immigrants have substantially lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants across a range of felony offenses, with data from Texas showing they are 37.1% less likely to be convicted of a crime (2020-2024 data).
Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
The economic impact of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota includes at least $203.1 million in losses to the Twin Cities in one month, affecting small businesses, housing construction, and real estate due to labor shortages from immigration enforcement.
Operation Metro Surge results in 203 million impact — City of Minneapolis
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Federal officials now say fewer than 500 ICE agents remain in Minnesota, down from roughly 3,000 at the height of Operation Metro Surge.
- The article reports that about 1,000 of the surge agents have left since Tom Homan first announced a drawdown, quantifying the scale of the withdrawal.
- Officials characterize the remaining ICE presence as closer to 'normal' staffing but do not provide a hard baseline number for what 'normal' is.
- The piece notes ongoing skepticism from local leaders and advocates who point out that even 'fewer than 500' is still several times Minnesota’s pre‑surge federal immigration footprint.
- Homan’s statement confirms what Walz had previously described as a likely near‑term drawdown, giving a clear endpoint to the surge branding.
- The end of Metro Surge is now presented as White House–sanctioned policy, not just a projection from the governor after a phone call.
- The article cements that the surge’s named phase is over, which will affect how Walz frames his small‑business relief and legal strategy going forward.
- Walz said he spoke directly with Border Czar Tom Homan and Trump political adviser Susie Wiles the morning of his Feb. 10 Minneapolis availability.
- He told reporters he now expects the ICE/CBP/Border Patrol surge to be wound down in 'days, days, not weeks and months,' and hopes Homan will announce by Friday that 'this thing is done' and will be 'done next week.'
- The article reiterates that Homan already announced on Feb. 4 that 700 federal officers were leaving Minnesota, leaving an estimated 2,000 still deployed from a peak of roughly 3,000.
- Walz explicitly framed the current federal presence as an 'occupation' and said he is in 'trust but verify' mode about the promised drawdown.
- Confirms roughly 3,000 federal officers have been deployed in Minnesota since December under Operation Metro Surge.
- Reports that Gov. Tim Walz now expects the immigration surge to wind down, rather than continue indefinitely.
- Details that Walz is planning a package of emergency grants, tax deferrals and licensing relief targeted at Twin Cities businesses hit hardest by the surge‑related loss of sales.