USA/ICE drawdown—
Photo courtesy Minnesota Star Tribune via Bluesky (Jan.17, 2026)
Mike Moen, producer, Minnesota Connection, a bureau of Public News Service.
The Department of Homeland Security says it is moving most federal immigration agents out of Minnesota. Still, community organizers and affiliated groups said the fight for justice is not over.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced Thursday a final drawdown of Immigration agents. That announcement comes more than two months after the controversial crackdown began. At one point, 3,000 agents were stationed around the state. That operation drew national criticism over arrest tactics, the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens, and widespread fear. Many people were forced into hiding.
Homan said, “The surge is leaving Minnesota safer.”
Edwin Torres Desantiago, network manager for the Immigrant Defense Network, said they have only just begun getting to the bottom of the pain and suffering felt in the region.
“We’ve been doing rapid response seven days a week, about 15 hours a day, for the last 73 days,” Torres reported. “We need to be able to assess the impact and the ways that this devastated our communities.”
Homan suggested opponents are trying to spin false narratives about the operation’s success and places blame for the tension on what he said are organized agitators. State and community leaders countered the Trump administration’s goals had nothing to do with public safety and Minnesota’s neighborhoods were treated as targets.
Organizers want accountability
The Immigrant Defense Network said it wants Congress to launch a thorough investigation to ensure any constitutional violations are addressed appropriately.
The “ICE Out of Minnesota” coalition of labor, faith, and community groups said additional actions are needed. It called for the release of people who were detained illegally and sent to out-of-state facilities and for charges to be dropped against peaceful constitutional observers. The coalition also wants to see federal agents prosecuted for what local leaders describe as “illegal tactics.”
Torres echoed the demands, saying neighborhoods were subject to too much violence.
“We had children rushed to the hospital with the amount of toxic chemical agents used and deployed,” Torres noted.
Those aligned with the robust resistance and mutual aid movement also renewed calls to support affected businesses. Gov. Tim Walz has proposed a $10 million relief fund and said the federal government needs to contribute as well.
