In early January 2026, the Trump administration deployed thousands of federal immigration agents to Minneapolis and surrounding areas. According to federal filings and multiple media reports, the deployment included approximately 2,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and about 1,000 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, beginning around January 5, 2026. Called Operation Metro Surge by Department of Homeland Security, the operation was described by DHS as the largest immigration enforcement surge in U.S. history.
Immigration Enforcement eo ilo Minnesota: Kōmeḷeḷe kōn nuuj ilo January 2026
Ilo kar jinoin January eo, administration eo an Trump kar jilkin ḷọk taujin ri jerbal in federal immigration ro ñan Minneapolis, ekoba 2,000 ri jerbal ro an ICE im 1,000 ri jerbal ro rej patrol e border eo. Ekkar ñan ritōl rein reutiej ilo obij kein (officials) rej ba bwe wāwein in ejej uaan jān iien otemjej ej kab kein kajuon ilo bwebwenato in America an ra eo an immigration eṃṃakūt āinwōt in.
Ilo January 7 raan eo, Renée Nicole Good, eo im ej 37 an iiō im ewōr 3 nejin ajri, kar buuki im mej ilo tōre eo ri jerbal rein an federal rar kabōjrake. Ewōr kajjitōk kōn enaan eo an ritōl rein reutiej. FBI eo ear bōk eddoin keej. Jijino lọar eo an kien raar etal ḷọk jān jerbal eo aer kōn abṇōṇō eo aer bwe enana etale keej ippāer. Baaṃle eo an Renee eaar iuṃaanḷọk juon civil lawsuit.
Ejja ilo January eo wōt, rein rej kwaḷọk aer jab errā ippān Trump administration eo raar wōnṃaanḷọk wōt kōn jerbal in jab errā ko aer. Ālkin aer kar kabōjrak er jān aer kakkure iien jar eo ilo juon iaan ṃōn jar kein, kar kalbuuj leader rein aer. Ro jān White House eo raar kwaḷọk jet pija in juon kōrā eo eṃōj an alter i ak (ukoti jekjekin jān lukkun jekjek eo an) ilo tōre eo rej kalbuuji. Ke raar kaitok kōn pija kein, eaar uaak “memes ak pija kein im re kōjak kein rej leto letak onlain renaaj baj jade wōt” ekkar ñan juon ri-kenono (spokesperson).
Enañin aolepān allōñ in, ewōr ripoot ko kōn ri jerbal rein an ICE ilo aer pād ilo ṃōn jikuuḷ ko, jikin bōjrak ko an bus, im ilo meḷaj in ṃōn wia ak jikin jerbal ko. Jet iaan rein raar jibwe er im kalbuuj er rej ri America. Ri utiej ro an local obija ro raar kakōl ICE rein bwe jerbal kein rej kōṃṃani rej kakkure jiṃwe im maroñ an armej im kakkure leke eo an jukjukin pād eo.
Jet iaan jerbal kein im rejel ajri jiddik ro raar kōlowetak elōñ armej jān kajojo laḷ:
- Juon ḷaddik eo lalim an iiō ekoba jemān raar jibwe er jān aer rọọl ñan ṃweoṃōn jān jikuuḷ im jilkinḷọk er ñan Texas.
- Ilo bar juon keej, ICE rein rar rupe juon wunto in wa ilo ejjeḷọk mālim (warrant) im jibwe juon leddik jidikdik 2 an iiō ippān jemān. Juon judge jān federal eaar jiroñ er bwe ren kōtḷọk ajri in.
Ilo kar January 24 raan eo, Alex Pretti, eo eaar jerbal āinwōt juon nurse ilo ICU ward eo ilo VA hospital eo, ilo juon tōre in kōṃṃakūt ko an federal agent rein, kar mane ñan mej ilo tōre eo ej kajeoñ jipañ ilo kōṃṃakūt traffic eo. Ilo ejja iien in wōt ewōr 2 armej ro raar pād ijin im lale bōktak eo ke agent rein raar bar jibwe tok er im pepper-spray iki er. Ke Pretti eaar kajeoñ jipañ armej rein ruo, raar bar jibwe im pepper-spray iki im buuki elōñ alen. Kar kwaḷọk ke likao in ewōr an bu ippān eo im ewōr an pepa im mālim. Barāinwōt eaar wōr bideo ak pija ko rej kwaḷọk ke likao in ejjab juon eo ICE rein ren kar ekkōl jake.
Family, colleagues and the family’s of his patients have all spoken very highly of him. “Alex believed strongly in the rights rooted in our Constitution and its amendments. He spoke out for justice and peace whenever he could, not only out of obligation, but out of a belief that we are more connected than divided, and that communication would bring us together.” Alex’s nursing student encouraged others to act with the same integrity as he did: “Stand up for justice and speak with those whose views differ from your own. Hold your beliefs with strength, but always extend love outward, even in the face of adversity.”
Baaṃle ko, ri jerbal ro, im baaṃle ko an ri nañinmej ro an raar kwaḷọk aer lukkun nebar e likao in. “Alex eaar lukkun ḷap an tomak kōn jiṃwe eo ippān ro ewōr maroñ ippāer ilo kōṃṃan oktak ko rej bōk jikier ilo Jemenei im kein oktak ko (Constitution and its amendments). Eaar jutak kōn jiṃwe im aineṃṃōn jabdewōt ñe emaroñ, jab kōn eddoin, jān juon tomak ilo maroñ in armej ñan kōkobaik ilo kōnono ippān doon.” Juon kōrā eo eaar katak ippān Alex ilo ICU, eaar rujañ ro jet ñan jutak ilo ṃōṃool: “Jutak kōn jiṃwe im kōnono ippān ro jet rej tomak oktak jān kwe. Kōjparok tomak ko aṃ ilo kajoor, bōtaab wujlepḷọk ilo iakwe, jekdoon eḷap an abañ.”
Meḷeḷe ko jān Federal raar oktak, im jerbal in etale jorāān in ej ḷapḷọk. Senator ro an Republican jān Maine, Louisiana, Texas, Utah im ijoko jet raar kūr ñan juon “jerbal in ippān eo an federal im state ñan etal jorāān in” ilo aer kar buuk likao in. National Rifle Association eo eaar kwaḷọk an naan ke ren lukkun kōṃṃane juon jerbal in etale eo etiljek im ri kōṃṃan kien rein ren jab likūt armej bwe relukkun nana jekdoon rej kōjparok aolep kien ko. Im ro jān jikin kōṃṃan bu eo eaar joḷọk abṇōṇō eo ej kwaḷọk bwe bu (firearm) eo an Pretti emaroñ kar make bu ilo an ejjeḷọk ej jibwe im bu kake. Raar kōmālmālik bwe model in bu in ej make wōt kar lōñ alen aer “etale im teej e, kōjatdikdik kake, im elukkun pen” ñan juṃae jorāān ko rej iooni jān “ro ejjeḷọk meḷeḷe ippāer, im ro rej itok ilo bōk ñan bukwoj armej”
Ilo juon interview eo ilo telepoon ippān Nuuj Pepa eo an Wall Street, Trump eaar avoid i kajjitōk ko ikijjien aer kar buuk Pretti im ñe “ejiṃwe men eo raar kōṃṃane.” Bōtaap, eaar ba bwe remaroñ kōrọọl ri jerbal rein an ICE jān Minneapolis: “ilo bar juon wāwein kōm naaj eṃṃakūt”.
President Trump eṃōj an ukot kilen an jerbal ālkin ta eo eaar bōk jikin ilo weekend eo. Eaar kōnono ippān Governor Tim Walz im Mayor Jacob Frey ilo telepoon. Ilo naan kein an eaar eṃṃan an kōnono im jab nana āinwōt kar ṃokta. Border Patrol Obija Gregory Bovino eo eṃōj kōṃṃakūti jān taitōl eo an āinwōt juon “commander at large” ej rọọl jān Minnesota ilo rainin (Juje) im jeplaak ñan position eo an ilo California āinwōt juon “Border czar” Tom Horman ej kiiō bōk eddoin ra eo an federal immigration enforcement ilo Minnesota.
Doulul eo an Civil right (jiṃwe im maroñ), state official im leader ro an local police eo raar kwaḷọk aer kōnanaik jerbal ko an federal im kōṃṃane juon aer lawsuit ak keej ṇae ri jerbal ro an ri ilikin (immigrations). Raar kwaḷọk ilo abṇōṇō in aer bwe elukkun lōñ iaan ri jerbal rein rar rupe kien im kōṃṃan jorāān: Kakien eo iṃaantata (First Amendment) free speech and peaceful protest (anemkwōj in kōnono aenōṃṃan ilo jab errā), Kakien ka-eman (Fourth Amendment) jiṃwe eo ñan kōjbarok eok jān bwōd in etale, jibwe im kalbuuj, im Kakien ka-joñoul (Tenth Amendment) jiṃwe eo ñan an juon laḷ kōjparok er make. Juon federal judge jān Minneapolis eṃōj an bōk abṇōṇō kein im etale kiiō. Bōtaap ejjañin wōr juon jeṃḷọk eo eṃōj tōpare.
Death of Renée Nicole Good
On January 7, 2026, Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed during a traffic stop involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Video footage from multiple angles shows that Good attempted to drive away and was not aiming her vehicle at agents. The agent involved was later identified in reporting as Jonathan Ross.
After the shooting, video shows an agent looking into Good’s crashed vehicle and verbally berating her. The language used by the agent is visible in footage but is not repeated here.
Federal officials, including the White House and DHS, publicly described Good and her wife as agitators who posed a threat to agents. However, video evidence reviewed by media outlets and civil rights groups has raised serious questions about that account. The agent involved was not injured.
The FBI took over the investigation. Rather than focusing on the agent who fired the shots, the investigation initially examined the actions of Good’s wife. In response, six federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota resigned, citing concerns about the direction of the investigation. Good’s family has since hired lawyers to file a civil lawsuit to hold the government and federal officers responsible for her death.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/09/minneapolis-ice-shooting-renee-good
Protest, Arrests, and Altered Photograph
Following Good’s death, protests took place across Minneapolis. One protest disrupted church services at a church where David Easterwood, a pastor, also serves as acting field office director for ICE in St. Paul. Several organizers were later arrested.
The White House released a photograph of Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and protest organizer who was arrested, that had been digitally altered to make her appear distressed and darker in appearance. The original image released earlier by DHS showed Armstrong calm during the arrest. When questioned about the altered image, a White House spokesperson posted only that “the memes will keep coming.”
ICE Actions in Public Spaces
Throughout January, there were widely reported incidents of federal agents appearing on school campuses, following school buses, and detaining people at public businesses. Some individuals detained were U.S. citizens. Civil rights advocates and local officials raised concerns that people were being targeted based on race, ethnicity, and language.
During protests, agents used pepper spray and tear gas, photographed demonstrators, and used vehicle and facial identification tools to track participants. Federal agents and court rulings have clarified and expanded the authority of immigration enforcement to detain demonstrators. Independent documentation (in incident lists and community reports) includes accounts of individuals being held by ICE for many hours after public interaction — including at least one civilian held for nearly 10 hours after filming federal agents
Minneapolis residents responded by exercising their First Amendment rights, including organizing demonstrations, filming law enforcement activity, and alerting neighbors to ICE activity by blowing whistles and honking car horns. DHS has claimed these actions obstruct federal operations and cited them to justify enforcement tactics.
Local Law Enforcement Response
Local and state officials publicly criticized the federal operation. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara emphasized that local police were not responsible for federal enforcement actions and raised concerns about civil rights violations.
As reported by The Washington Post, local law enforcement leaders warned that federal tactics were “undermining community trust and putting residents at risk.”
Minnesota and city officials later filed a federal lawsuit arguing that the deployment violates the Tenth Amendment, which reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/21/minneapolis-police-ice-community-trust
Detention of Children
Several cases involving children drew national and international attention.
In one case, five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were detained and transferred to a detention center in Texas more than 1,000 miles from Minnesota. The child’s school reported that agents walked him to his home and knocked on the door in an attempt to draw family members outside. Agents refuse to release the child into the custody of school representatives present.
In another case, a two-year-old girl and her father, Elvis Joel TE, were detained after agents entered the family’s driveway and backyard without a warrant. According to court filings, an agent broke the window of the father’s car while the child was inside. The agents refused to allow the father to bring the child to family members inside the home. The child was placed in an agent’s vehicle without a car seat.
Lawyers filed an emergency petition. A federal judge issued an order prohibiting the government from transferring the child out of Minnesota and later ordered her immediate release into the custody of her attorney, who had been granted temporary guardianship by the child’s mother.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyrrqwxpz7o
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/us-immigration-two-year-old-minnesota-girl
Death of Alex Pretti
On the morning of January 24, 2026, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, was killed during another federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
Eyewitness accounts and video evidence shows Pretti helping direct traffic and attempting to assist people who had been pushed down and pepper-sprayed. He was then pushed to the ground, beaten with pepper spray, and disarmed by an agent. After the agent removed Pretti’s legally owned handgun, a gunshot was heard. Other agents then fired multiple shots, killing Pretti.
Trump and his administration are under increasing pressure from Republicans and groups usually sympathetic to the president. DHS initially claimed that he threatened agents with the weapon but it was clear from video recordings that was not true. Though a government attorney tried to cast blame on Pretti for having a gun on him, the National Rifle Association made a statement that the administration should not be “demonizing law-abiding citizens”. The administration has suggested the firearm discharged accidentally. In response, Sig Sauer (the firearm manufacturer) made a statement in which they blamed “uninformed, agenda-driven parties” of launching “attacks against Sig Sauer’s most tested, most reliable, and most durable product”.
In a telephone interview with The Wall Street Journal on Sunday night, Trump avoided questions about whether the officer who shot Pretti had done the “right thing”. He said that they might withdraw ICE agents from Minneapolis: “at some point we will leave”.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68214457
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/25/alex-pretti-killing-nra-pro-gun-groups
Escalation and Legal Challenges
Following Pretti’s death, protests occurred near hotels where federal agents were staying. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz brought in 1,500 National Guard troops on alert to support civil law enforcement and protect residents. President Trump also placed National Guard units from Alaska on standby to support federal agents in Minnesota.
Protesters have largely restrained themselves amid concern that the president could invoke emergency powers. Civil rights groups and state officials say the large number of federal immigration agents sent to Minneapolis may be unconstitutional. They argue that these actions violate the First Amendment, which protects free speech and peaceful protest; the Fourth Amendment, which protects people from unreasonable searches, seizures, and arrests; and the Tenth Amendment, which protects the rights of states to govern themselves. A federal judge in Minneapolis has heard arguments and is reviewing the case, but a final decision has not yet been issued.
The chief district judge in Minnesota has also ordered acting ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in federal court on Friday. The judge said acting ICE directors Lyons and Easterwood and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have failed to comply with “dozens of court orders” in recent weeks and “the Court’s patience is at an end.”
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/minnesota-sues-us-over-immigration-enforcement-surge-2026-01-19
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/26/minneapolis-trump-ice-immigration-court
Fallout and Accountability
Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, Chris Madel, announced that he would no longer be running for office. He said said tactics used in Operation Metro Surge and supported by the Republican party has made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide office in Minnesota. He said the tactics had “expanded far beyond its stated focus on public safety threats.”
Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including Republican senators from Maine, Louisiana, Texas and Utah, have called for an independent investigation into Alex Pretti’s death, urging joint federal and state involvement. President Trump’s tone has also shifted after Pretti’s death: he described phone calls with Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey in more positive terms and avoided some of the harshest claims made earlier by top aides. Meanwhile, Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino is expected to leave Minnesota today (Tuesday) and return to a previous post in California after being removed from his “commander at large” role. Tom Homan, a former acting director of ICE, has taken over coordination of federal immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota following leadership changes within the operation. There is talk that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will also be removed from her position but there has been no official change.
US immigration chief Gregory Bovino set to leave Minneapolis after deadly shooting
Live updates: Minnesota ICE operations to be handled by Homan after Trump withdraws Bovino | CNN
