The numbers tell a story that cannot be ignored. Nearly 2,000 federal agents are now descending on the Twin Cities area in what multiple law enforcement sources describe as one of the largest domestic deployments of Department of Homeland Security personnel in recent memory.
This is not routine. This is not business as usual.
The operation, which quietly began this past Sunday, represents a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy. Sources within law enforcement circles, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of ongoing operations, confirm that the deployment involves both Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officers and agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the federal government’s principal investigative arm for transnational criminal activity.
The scope is staggering. To put it in perspective, one former law enforcement official noted that the number of HSI agents being dispatched to Minneapolis roughly equals the entire HSI workforce assigned to Arizona, a border state with its own substantial immigration challenges.
“This is a massive resource allocation,” the official stated, adding that Minneapolis is effectively becoming “the new Chicago,” a reference to previous large-scale federal enforcement operations in Illinois.
The deployment is structured as a 30-day surge operation, making the Twin Cities the first major target of the administration’s expanded immigration crackdown in the new year. The federal presence includes several hundred additional Homeland Security Investigations agents, hundreds of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers, and specialized tactical units known as Special Response Teams. Dozens of high-ranking supervisors will oversee a layered command structure.
Sources indicate the total federal presence could grow even larger, with as many as 600 HSI agents and up to 1,500 ICE officers rotating through the Minneapolis area over the month-long operation.
The timing is significant. This surge builds upon last month’s inspection of dozens of sites throughout the Minneapolis area, part of an ongoing investigation into alleged fraud cases that have drawn federal attention to the region. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations are expected to continue probing these matters while immigration enforcement operations proceed simultaneously.
Leading the charge on the immigration enforcement side will be U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino, who previously oversaw controversial immigration operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, and New Orleans. An undisclosed number of U.S. Border Patrol personnel will join him in Minnesota.
This deployment comes as Minnesota finds itself at the intersection of heightened political tension and community concern. The operation, dubbed Operation Metro Surge when ICE launched its initial immigration enforcement campaign in the Twin Cities late last year, specifically targets individuals who have been issued deportation orders.
The federal government’s decision to concentrate such substantial resources in one metropolitan area raises questions about both the scale of the perceived problem and the administration’s broader enforcement priorities. For a region unaccustomed to border-state levels of federal immigration activity, the arrival of nearly 2,000 agents represents a dramatic shift in the local law enforcement landscape.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the operation’s specifics or its expected outcomes.
What remains clear is this: The Trump administration has chosen Minnesota as its proving ground for 2025, and the scope of this operation suggests they intend to make a lasting impression.
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