US administration announces end to Minnesota immigration crackdown; expert says ICE-driven polarization may prompt policy rethink
By Published: Feb 13, 2026 12:43 AM
Tom Homan (R), White House Border Czar speaks at a press conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on February 12, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo: VCG
The US government said Thursday it is ending the deployment of immigration agents to Minnesota, bringing to a close a months-long aggressive operation that sparked fierce opposition from residents and local officials, led to the deaths of two US citizens, and ignited widespread outrage, according to some US media reports.
Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said “a significant drawdown has already been underway this week, and will continue to the next week,” the New York Times reported on Thursday.
At its peak, about 3,000 immigration officers were surged into the area, initially under the control of Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino, CNN said.
Homan took over the operation on January 26 after the Trump administration faced political backlash to the deadly shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, anti-ICE protesters who were US citizens, per CNN.
US Immigration officers and agents have arrested 4,000 people since the operation began, NBC News reported, citing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS did not provide a breakdown of how many of those had criminal charges. Federal authorities have arrested more than 200 people for impeding the work of law enforcement officers, Homan said on Thursday, NBC News said.
Protests against the administration’s immigration enforcement presence in Minneapolis erupted last month in the wake of federal officers fatally shooting US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in the city, the Hill said.
In the aftermath of both shootings, Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey called on ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel to leave the city, per the Hill.
After the shooting of Pretti, US President Trump dispatched Homan to the state and sidelined Bovino, who previously oversaw enforcement operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, NC, the US media report said.
The New York Times described Homan’s announcement as “a welcome shift,” but said the news of a drawdown was still greeted with skepticism.
The AP News also described the announcement as a significant retreat from an operation that has become a major distraction for the Trump administration and has been more volatile than prior crackdowns in Chicago and Los Angeles.
But AP News said on Thursday that Homan pledged that immigration enforcement won’t end when the Minnesota operation is over.
“What happened in Minnesota has sparked strong backlash, triggering widespread opposition,” Lü Xiang, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
This kind of intervention under the guise of anti‑immigration enforcement, carried out during ICE operations, is intensifying social polarization and escalating tensions, with the risk of further violence erupting at any time, which may lead to a reconsideration of policy, Lü said.
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