Feds Pledge ICE Changes in Minneapolis, but Mayor Remains Cautious

Top federal law enforcement officials promise "massive changes" in immigration enforcement, but Minneapolis mayor says he'll "believe it when he sees it".

Jan. 29, 2026 at 8:07pm

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Top federal law enforcement officials, including U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan, have promised to make "massive changes" in the way immigration cases are pursued in Minneapolis. This comes after incidents of aggressive and sometimes violent sweeps by immigration teams in the city. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey remains cautious, saying he will believe the changes when he sees them and insisting that the federal "Operation Metro Surge" immigration action must end.

Why it matters

The aggressive immigration enforcement tactics used in Minneapolis have caused public outrage, including after the shootings of two individuals. The federal government's pledge to reform ICE operations in the city is an attempt to address these concerns, but the mayor's skepticism highlights the ongoing tensions between local and federal authorities over immigration policy.

The details

Homan says ICE teams will return to "targeted" arrests of criminal immigrants, rather than the roving sweeps that have resulted in violent encounters, deaths, and arrests of innocent Americans. He also says Minneapolis officials will now allow ICE into county jails to arrest criminal undocumented immigrants, something previously not done. However, the mayor remains doubtful, saying he expects conduct to immediately change but will "believe it when he sees it."

  • On Thursday, top federal law enforcement officials made the pledge to reform ICE operations in Minneapolis.
  • In recent months, there have been "countless images of aggressive sweeps by immigration teams, some of which were brutally violent" in Minneapolis and Chicago.

The players

Tom Homan

U.S. Border Czar who has been sent to Minneapolis to fix issues with ICE operations in the city.

Jacob Frey

The mayor of Minneapolis, who remains cautious about the promised changes and insists the federal "Operation Metro Surge" immigration action must end.

Patrick Schlitz

Minnesota's chief federal judge, who has cited data showing ICE has violated 96 court orders in 74 cases, indicating the "extent of ICE's noncompliance is almost certainly substantially understated."

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What they’re saying

“We have standards of conduct,”

— Tom Homan, U.S. Border Czar (nbcchicago.com)

“We are not surrendering the president's mission on immigration enforcement. Let's make that clear. Prioritization of criminal aliens doesn't mean we forget about everybody else. That's just simply ridiculous.”

— Tom Homan, U.S. Border Czar (nbcchicago.com)

“We need Operation Metro Surge to end. It is not about creating safety in Minneapolis. If the goal is to find an antidote to chaos, there would be a very straightforward answer, which is to end Operation Metro Surge. Remove the federal agents. We got to move forward.”

— Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis (nbcchicago.com)

“Are we hopeful for progress? Are we hopeful that there will be a draw down in the course that we're presently seeing in this invasion of Minneapolis? Absolutely, I'm hopeful. Do I expect conduct to immediately change? That is my expectation. That is what we are insisting upon. But again I'll believe it when I see it.”

— Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis (nbcchicago.com)

What’s next

The Minneapolis mayor, along with Gov. Tim Walz and Homan, are waiting to see if immigration enforcement will be overhauled by congressional Democrats as part of a national budget deal.

The takeaway

The federal government's pledge to reform ICE operations in Minneapolis is an attempt to address public outrage over aggressive and sometimes violent immigration enforcement tactics, but the mayor's skepticism highlights the ongoing tensions between local and federal authorities over immigration policy.