February 12, 2026 l Dalena Reporters
Federal authorities have announced the end of the controversial immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that saw thousands of federal agents deployed to the state over the past several months, U.S. news agencies reported on Thursday, February 12, 2026. The operation, labelled Operation Metro Surge and described by officials as the largest immigration enforcement initiative ever carried out in the United States, has been the centre of intense debate, protests and political conflict.
The drawdown was confirmed by Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s designated border czar, who said the majority of the thousands of immigration officers sent to Minnesota including agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and related agencies will return home over the coming week as the surge concludes. Homan asserted that the initiative had achieved its objectives and credited enhanced cooperation with local law enforcement for enabling the reduction.
Initiated in early December 2025, the operation expanded federal immigration enforcement throughout Minneapolis–Saint Paul and across Minnesota’s cities. According to federal officials, more than 4,000 arrests were made during the campaign, which targeted individuals federal authorities categorised as criminal threats or undocumented migrants. Homan and other supporters of the crackdown argued the effort made Minnesota “less of a sanctuary state.”
However, the operation sparked persistent opposition from state and local leaders and civil liberties advocates, who characterised the enforcement surge as overly aggressive and disruptive. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had repeatedly condemned the operation, describing it as an occupation and a politically motivated initiative that undermined community trust. Both welcomed the announcement of its end, framing the drawdown as a relief for residents and a step toward healing.
The crackdown also drew widespread protest across Minnesota and beyond, with demonstrations organised around concerns about civil rights, racial profiling and the detentions of individuals who were later found to be legal residents or U.S. citizens. The enforcement tactics coupled with high-profile clashes between federal agents and local communities contributed to heated national debate over immigration policy and federal authority.
The end of the Minnesota surge signals an important shift in the Trump administration’s domestic immigration strategy, albeit with federal immigration enforcement continuing in other jurisdictions. Homan emphasised that while the large-scale surge in Minnesota is concluding, ongoing immigration enforcement remains a priority nationwide under the administration’s broader mass deportation agenda.