What is Operation Metro Surge?: ICE in Minneapolis
Coming into office in January 2025, President Trump promised to conduct “the largest deportation program of criminals” in the nation’s history, with a goal of deporting 1 million undocumented immigrants by the end of the year. As part of a series of larger immigration enforcement operations, on December 1, 2025, the Trump Administration launched “Operation Metro Surge”, an enhanced immigration enforcement operation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the United States Border Patrol in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As part of the operation, ICE stated that, in part, they planned on targeting those with deportation orders, with ICE Director Todd Lyons stating, “We’re picking up the worst of the worst offenders.”
Notably, however, the number of people detained by ICE without any criminal convictions has dramatically risen under Donald Trump’s second term. As of January 8th, 2026, roughly 24,640 detainees in ICE detention had no criminal history, 16,630 had criminal charges, and a further 16,040 had charges pending.
On January 6th, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it planned on sending an additional 2,000 federal agents and officers to the Minneapolis area in the “largest Immigration operation ever.” Democratic leaders in the city strongly condemned the surge, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz calling it “a war that’s being waged against Minnesota.”
On January 7, 2026, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother, during an ICE operation. Several videos taken by bystanders at the scene appear to show ICE officers confronting Good, one telling her to exit her vehicle and another telling her to leave. Good appears to reverse, turn her wheel away from the officers, and pull away before being shot. After the shooting and subsequent rise in protests, Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem vowed to send more ICE agents to Minneapolis and labeled Renee Good’s actions an “act of domestic terrorism.” In the subsequent weeks, at least a thousand protests and demonstrations demanding justice for Renee Good took place across the Country.
What Happened to Alex Pretti?
On January 24th, a second U.S. citizen was shot by ICE officers in Minnesota. The man shot was later identified by his parents as 37-year-old Alexi Pretti, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse. That morning, according to a post on X, federal agents were conducting a targeted operation against an undocumented immigrant “wanted for violent assault.” As ICE and Border Patrol agents swept the area, several protesters, including Alex Pretti, could be seen filming Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers on the sidewalk during an ICE operation. Video footage shows officers approach Pretti—who was carrying a phone in his hand—and another protestor before shoving them to the ground and pepper-spraying Pretti in his face. Moments later, an officer can be seen removing a gun from Pretti’s waistband during the altercation and exiting the scrum of officers that had now pinned Pretti to the ground. An internal CBP review said that one agent yelled “He’s got a gun” several times during the altercation. Seconds after the agent removed the firearm from Pretti’s waistband, ICE agents fired 10 shots directly at Pretti.
Reactions and Government Response
Just two hours after the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security posted on X that Pretti “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and that Pretti had intended to inflict “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” Homeland Security Advisor Steven Miller posted on X that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to assassinate federal law enforcement.” The same day, President Trump called Pretti a “gunman” on Truth Social. Three days later, however, President Trump said he had never heard his top officials call Pretti a domestic terrorist. Trump added that Pretti “shouldn’t have been carrying a gun.”
Witnesses to the incident describe a different series of events. In sworn testimony, one witness stated, “It didn’t look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz strongly condemned ICE’s actions at a press conference the day after the shooting, stating, “We’re angry, but we won’t give up hope. And above all else, we are clearly unified.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also strongly condemned the shooting at a press conference. Former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also took to X to condemn the shooting, calling it “a wake-up call for every American.”
Some Republican lawmakers have joined Democrats in condemning the shooting. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy called the situation “disturbing”, and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said on X that the shooting “should raise serious questions within the administration about the adequacy of immigration-enforcement training.”
In response to increasing backlash, the Trump Administration announced on January 26th, 2026, that Gregory Bovino, a Senior Border Patrol commander and central figure in Operation Metro Surge, had been stripped of his role as “commander at large” and was to be replaced by Border Czar Tom Homand. Some of Bovino’s agents are expected to leave with him as he is reassigned to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Political Fallout and Shutdown Risks
It is possible that in the coming weeks, more demotions or firings will come, especially if the current level of backlash continues. Some analysts say one potential target is Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who is allegedly facing scrutiny within her agency. When asked on January 27 whether Noem would step down, President Trump responded, “No,” adding, “I think she’s fine.”
The shooting is also likely to affect negotiations over a set of controversial spending bills—including one to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE’s parent agency—that must be passed by the end of January to avoid a partial government shutdown. In the wake of the shooting, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Senate Democrats will not provide the votes necessary for the bills to pass without major reforms to ICE and other DHS agencies. Most recently, the Senateapproved a two-week extension of Homeland Security funding to give negotiators more time to consider potential reforms. However, the shape these reforms will take, if any, remains unclear.