DHS Halts Sweeping City-Specific Immigration Enforcement Operations

Officials say the agency will focus on arresting serious criminals nationwide instead of targeting specific locations.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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The Department of Homeland Security has no immediate plans for more large-scale immigration operations focusing on specific cities, two senior DHS officials told NBC News. This comes a day after the end of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, which the Trump administration had billed as its largest immigration enforcement operation to date.

Why it matters

The massive deployment of ICE and CBP officers in American cities, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis, brought national attention and scrutiny to these operations. The shift in DHS's approach signals a potential change in immigration enforcement tactics under the new administration.

The details

DHS had deployed more than 3,000 officers and agents from various federal agencies into the Twin Cities area beginning in November, resulting in the arrests of 4,000 people. Moving forward, ICE will focus on arresting serious criminals with immigration violations nationwide, rather than targeting specific locations. There are also no future plans to have Border Patrol agents actively involved in immigration enforcement operations in the interior of the country.

  • In November 2025, DHS began Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.
  • On February 12, 2026, President Trump's border "czar" Tom Homan announced the end of Operation Metro Surge.

The players

Tom Homan

President Trump's border "czar" who announced the end of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.

Kristi Noem

The current DHS Secretary who plans to shift her focus to families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by immigrants illegally present in the U.S. and on voting security.

Gregory Bovino

The former commander of Border Patrol operations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Los Angeles who was removed from his role and returned to his previous job as sector chief in El Centro, California.

Renee Nicole Good

A U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

Alex Pretti

A U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

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What’s next

The DHS Secretary plans to shift her focus to families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by immigrants illegally present in the U.S. and on voting security.

The takeaway

The shift in DHS's approach signals a potential change in immigration enforcement tactics under the new administration, moving away from large-scale, city-specific operations and towards a more targeted focus on serious criminal offenders nationwide.