White House Border Czar Tom Homan officially announced the full withdrawal of federal surge personnel from Minneapolis, declaring that a weeks-long enforcement operation launched amid violent protests will come to an end. “I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude,” Homan said, confirming that a significant drawdown is already underway and will continue through next week.
Tom Homan just officially announced the full withdrawal of ICE from Minneapolis.
— Nicholas J. Fuentes (@NickJFuentes) February 12, 2026
This is nothing short of a complete and total surrender to the radical Left agitators.
Trump has sent the message that rioting, stalking, and attacking ICE agents works. pic.twitter.com/sNOxWQPt5C
The announcement follows a period of unrest in Minneapolis sparked by the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents and mounting tensions between federal authorities and local leaders. Homan said he had been deployed by President Trump to work with state and local officials to deescalate what he described as “intense volatile reactions and conflicts” between federal law enforcement and unlawful agitators on city streets.
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 in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security characterized the incident as an attack, stating that a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after a man approached with a handgun and resisted attempts to disarm him. However, footage appeared to show agents pinning him down before shots were fired. The shooting drew hundreds of demonstrators and led to protests in other major cities, including New York, Washington and San Francisco. The incident came just weeks after another fatal shooting involving federal agents in Minnesota, further heightening tensions between state and federal officials. Local leaders criticized federal authorities for declining to allow local participation in the investigation.
Homan said his mission in Minneapolis was twofold: to ensure enforcement operations were conducted properly and to prevent violence against federal officers. He repeatedly emphasized that assaulting or interfering with federal law enforcement is a crime under U.S. law. “Forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal law enforcement officer is a crime in violation of USC 111,” he said. “It’s not okay. It will not be tolerated. Zero tolerance if you cross that line and put hands on an ICE officer.”
According to Homan, more than 200 people have been arrested for alleged violations of that statute, with many cases accepted for prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and others still pending. He said state and local law enforcement agencies committed to responding when federal officers were impeded or assaulted and have followed through on those commitments in recent weeks.
Homan thanked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for public messages focused on peace and for deploying state troopers to respond to unlawful situations. He also acknowledged Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for taking a public stance against street barricades and directing police to remove them, along with Police Chief Brian O’Hara, Sheriff Dawanna Witt and other local law enforcement officials for maintaining order.
In recent weeks, Homan said, unlawful agitator activity has declined significantly, pointing to a sharp drop in deployments of Quick Response Force teams, or QRFs, which were assigned to assist ICE officers facing threats during enforcement operations. “The QRF deployments have dropped dramatically because we have less of that occurring,” he said, describing the reduction as a win for both law enforcement and the broader community.
Citing what he called successful arrests of public safety threats and improved coordination with local authorities, Homan said the administration determined that conditions now allow for a full withdrawal of surge personnel. A smaller federal presence will remain temporarily to transition command back to the local field office and to ensure that agitator activity continues to decline. Federal personnel assigned to criminal and fraud investigations related to the unrest will also remain until their work is completed. Homan said he will stay in Minneapolis for a short period to oversee the transition.
Despite the drawdown, Homan rejected suggestions that the administration is easing immigration enforcement efforts. He said officers reassigned from Minneapolis will return to their duty stations or be deployed elsewhere to continue what he described as President Trump’s commitment to strong border security and mass deportation.
“We will continue to enforce Title 8 immigration law throughout this nation,” Homan said. While national security threats and public safety risks remain priorities, he added that anyone in the country illegally remains subject to enforcement if encountered. “For those that say we are backing down from immigration enforcement or the promise of mass deportations, you are simply wrong,” he said.
Homan also highlighted broader enforcement efforts in Minnesota, stating that ICE had located 3,364 missing unaccompanied migrant children in the state. He attributed that effort to directives from President Trump and characterized it as part of a wider push to strengthen immigration enforcement nationwide.
The withdrawal marks a turning point after weeks of confrontation in Minneapolis, as federal and state officials seek to restore stability while investigations into the recent shootings continue.
