Minneapolis is the latest in a growing list of heavily Democratic cities targeted by the Trump administration, with thousands of masked and armed agents on the streets, raiding businesses and homes, suspected of targeting criminals illegally in the United States.
Since starting his second term, US President Donald Trump has sent federal and immigration agents to cities suspected of being high on crime, including Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago and Charlotte, NC.
But Minneapolis has seen large numbers of federal workers, and continued opposition from residents — and deadly violence.
Federal agents were first sent to Minnesota’s twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in early December.
But on January 6, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would add 2,000 more federal agents to cities, causing thousands of people to take to the streets almost every day, demanding that ICE leave their city.
Since then, two US citizens have been shot and killed in Minneapolis at the hands of ICE agents and a five-year-old child was arrested along with his father.
Here’s how we got to this point.
Why was ICE sent to Minnesota?
ICE agents were part of a sting operation at the University of Minnesota last fall that was linked to alleged fraud. During a press conference about the plan, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested sending federal agents to the Twin Cities, saying, “If you are here illegally, go home.”
On Dec. 1, DHS launched Operation Metro Surge, targeting the city “illegal aliens are the worst criminals.”
A few days later, Trump continued anger against Somali immigrants. He called them “garbage,” adding that “we don’t want them in our country.”
US President Donald Trump went on a three-minute tirade against immigrants from Somalia at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, calling them ‘garbage’ and saying ‘we don’t want them in our country.’ Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the Somali community has been an economic and cultural asset to the area, which is home to about 80,000 people from Somalia.
A few days ago, his Secretary of the Ministry of Finance had written on social media a strong activist, known for fighting against the critical theory of race and DEI, about the alleged fraud in the Somali community.
With my guidance, @USTreasury investigates allegations that under the mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota’s hard-working tax dollars may be diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
Thanks to the leadership of… https://t.co/uillMknuXL
Minnesota has the largest Somali immigrant population in the country. About 84,000 people of Somali descent live there Minneapolis-St. This is Paul’s place. Most of them are American citizens.
In the month of December, ICE conducted several raids and made numerous arrests in Minneapolis.
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is of Somali descent, told CBS News that his son was removed from office on December 14 and asked to prove his citizenship. He said he did and was not arrested, but the agents also entered the mosque where his son was praying, accusing them of “racially polluting” his community.
“They are looking for Somali-looking young men who they think are undocumented,” said Omar.
Hundreds of arrests and detentions followed in just the first two weeks of the operation, including what Americans say were racially targeted, Somali-Americans in Minneapolis. told CBC News that they are afraid to leave their homes.
“There are people who don’t leave their homes, because they are afraid of being thought of by someone else and being caught,” said Farah, a member of the Somali community who is an American citizen.
US Vice President JD Vance has stood by the actions of ICE officials after they arrested Liam Conejo Ramos and his five-year-old father in a suburb of Minneapolis, sparking new tensions over immigration policies.
The rise of January
On January 6, the Trump administration ordered an increase of 2,000 more ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons called the move “the largest immigration operation ever” in an interview with the right-wing cable news network Newsmax.
Minnesota has been at the center of several recent fraud scandals, including a $300 million US food fraud scheme surrounding the nonprofit group Feeding Our Future, for which 57 defendants in the state were convicted. Most of the defendants were Somali Americans.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other Democrats criticized Trump and his allies for statements that seem to condemn the entire diaspora for the actions of a large number of people and suggested that the increase in ICE agents in the Twin Cities is directly related.
A week after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, another ICE-involved shooting in the city is fueling tensions between law enforcement and protesters. As President Donald Trump threatens to bring in the National Guard, Andrew Chang explains the rise of ICE in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Photos provided by The Canadian Press, Reuters and Getty Images
Reaction to explosion
The attack brought protesters to the streets. People called ICE to leave.
One day later, Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent. The center said he was blocking the road.
Protests spread across the city and country after Good’s death.
But Trump administration officials have defended the agent’s actions, saying Good “armed his car” and tried to run over ICE agents. The video contradicts that account.
In the following weeks, there were many more arrests, and high-profile incidents, including a woman who told agents she was thrown from her car and thrown to the ground, the arrest of a five-year-old child and, on Saturday, the shooting of nurse Alex Pretti.
On Saturday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on social media described Pretti as a “murderer” who “tried to kill federal agents.” US Vice President JD Vance reshared the post. Video of the shooting appeared to contradict Miller’s assessment.
US government officials say ICE agents shot and killed Alex Pretti at a Minneapolis protest because he had a gun on him and, according to US President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser Stephen Miller, ‘could have been a killer.’ Andrew Chang breaks down several video angles of the shooting, moment by moment, to understand how accurate the government’s first account is. Photos provided by The Canadian Press, Reuters and Getty Images
Possible reduction
On Monday, Trump held a phone call with Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey. After the phone calls, all parties say they are productive, Frey said federal agents can start leaving the city as early as Tuesday.
Immigration workers were still working throughout the Twin Cities region on Tuesday. It was not clear whether the officials changed their tactics after the change of tone in the White House.
