Rep. Ilhan Omar on sharply criticized federal immigration authorities following the announcement that the Trump administration will end a weeks-long enforcement operation in Minneapolis known as Operation Metro Surge. In a lengthy statement, Omar condemned the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during the operation and called for accountability, investigations and the abolition of the agency.
Rep. Ilhan Omar Statement on Homan Announcement Ending Operation Metro Surge:
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) February 12, 2026
“Two of my constituents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal immigration enforcement agents. A third was shot under questionable circumstances. Thousands were tear-gassed and shot with…
The comments came after White House Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed that federal surge personnel would be fully withdrawn from Minneapolis. Homan said he had proposed ending the operation and that President Donald Trump had concurred. The drawdown is already underway and will continue through next week, though a smaller federal presence will remain temporarily during the transition.
🚨 BREAKING: Tom Homan announces the ICE and Border agent surge to Minnesota is ENDING now that Democrat officials let them into the jails
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 12, 2026
These agents will now carry out deportations in OTHER STATES! They are freed up!
"Trump has concurred this surge operation conclude."
"A… pic.twitter.com/ALYGFE4PC4
The surge operation, known as Operation Metro Surge, was launched in attempt to arrest all illegal and criminal aliens, but protests have since erupted after U.S. immigration agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents. The Department of Homeland Security described the incident as an attack in which a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after a man approached with a handgun and resisted attempts to disarm him. Video footage that circulated publicly appeared to show agents pinning him down before shots were fired, fueling protests in Minneapolis and demonstrations in other major cities.
In her statement, Omar directly referenced the deaths and the broader impact of the operation on her constituents.
“Two of my constituents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal immigration enforcement agents. A third was shot under questionable circumstances. Thousands were tear-gassed and shot with less-lethal weapons and harassed by masked agents. What we witnessed was not law enforcement — it was militarized racial terror unleashed on the streets of Minnesota as a deliberate attempt to demonize the Somali community,” she said.
Omar argued that Operation Metro Surge revealed the extent to which federal immigration authorities were prepared to act against immigrant communities.
“Operation ‘Metro Surge’ has exposed just how far ICE is willing to go to intimidate and terrorize Black, Brown, and immigrant communities in our state. Nearly all Somalis in Minnesota are citizens, yet ICE agents harassed residents demanding proof of papers and, when citizens sought to document these unlawful stops, they were met with lethal force. Latino, Asian, and other communities of color were forced into hiding regardless of their status, and those who dared to live their lives, were often arrested with no cause. That was not public safety. That was an authoritarian abuse of power.”
“Nothing about what we witnessed was normal. Businesses are reeling from the economic devastation. Families are shattered. Children will carry the trauma of federal agents descending on their neighborhoods for the rest of their lives. The pain inflicted on this community will not fade — it will remain etched in their memory as the moment their own government turned against them,” she said. While acknowledging Minnesota’s resilience, Omar said she was “outraged and heartbroken” by what she characterized as suffering inflicted by the administration.
“Minnesotans are resilient, and the world has seen what makes our state strong: compassion, solidarity, and justice. But I am outraged and heartbroken that our state was forced to endure unfathomable suffering at the hands of this administration. The American people saw clearly that fear and cruelty were not side effects, they were the point.”
Omar called for the complete removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations from the state and renewed her long-standing push to abolish the agency.
“It is past time for ICE operations to leave Minnesota. And it is time to move to abolish this rogue agency so that no community in America is ever terrorized like this again. But ending this operation is not enough. There must be justice and accountability. This administration must fully cooperate with independent investigations into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Congress must withhold funding for unlawful actions and ensure federal dollars never bankroll civil-rights violations. We should be hauling cabinet secretaries and agency heads before congressional committees and demanding sworn testimony. They must explain who authorized these actions, what legal justifications were used, and why constitutional protections were ignored. Our businesses deserve economic restitution for the harm done. I won’t rest until we can ensure this abuse of power and terror can never happen again.”
Homan, in announcing the withdrawal, said his mission in Minneapolis had been to ensure enforcement operations were conducted properly and to prevent violence against federal officers during what he described as “intense volatile reactions and conflicts” between law enforcement and unlawful agitators. He emphasized that interfering with federal officers is a federal crime under U.S. law and said more than 200 people had been arrested for alleged violations, with many cases accepted for prosecution.
Despite the withdrawal, Homan rejected claims that the administration was backing away from immigration enforcement, saying officers reassigned from Minneapolis would continue enforcement efforts elsewhere. He reiterated that individuals in the country illegally remain subject to enforcement if encountered and framed the operation as part of a broader commitment to border security and mass deportation.
The end of Operation Metro Surge marks a shift after weeks of protests, arrests and political confrontation in Minneapolis. Investigations into the recent shootings are ongoing, and debate over federal immigration enforcement tactics — and their impact on local communities — is likely to continue in Congress and beyond.
