The Department of Homeland Security said federal immigration authorities have arrested more than 10,000 criminal illegal immigrants in the Minneapolis area, including thousands taken into custody in recent weeks, as part of expanded enforcement operations in Minnesota.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a series of posts on X that DHS law enforcement agencies have arrested approximately 3,000 criminal illegal immigrants in the past six weeks alone. According to Noem, those arrests included individuals convicted of violent crimes, sexual offenses against children, gang-related activity, and fraud.
PEACE AND PUBLIC SAFETY IN MINNEAPOLIS! We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Frey refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals. In the…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 19, 2026
In a statement released by DHS, Noem said the enforcement actions were necessary due to what she described as failures by state and local leadership to address public safety concerns. She specifically referenced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing them of opposing federal immigration enforcement.
DHS said arrests carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement included individuals with prior convictions for first- and second-degree sexual assault of minors, vehicular homicide, domestic violence, fraud, and gang affiliation. In one case cited by the department, an illegal immigrant from Ecuador was charged in connection with a fatal vehicular homicide involving a Minnesota mother in 2024. Other cases referenced individuals from Somalia, Laos, and Thailand with multiple felony convictions.
DHS also said Homeland Security Investigations has launched large-scale fraud investigations in the Minneapolis area. According to Noem, investigators are examining what she described as at least $19 billion in suspected fraud, though DHS did not release additional details on the scope or timeline of the investigations.
Federal officials emphasized that the enforcement actions are ongoing and involve coordination between multiple DHS components. DHS said the arrests were carried out as part of targeted operations focused on individuals with criminal records.
Separately, former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan said in a interview on FOX that the Trump administration plans to expand immigration enforcement staffing nationwide. Homan said President Donald Trump has authorized the addition of 10,000 new federal agents to support arrest and removal operations, including interior enforcement efforts backed by U.S. Border Patrol.
🚨 BREAKING: Tom Homan reveals President Trump is bringing on 10,000 NEW AGENTS to round up and deport illegal aliens
This is HUGE!
"We're gonna BLOW this historic number [of deportations] out of the WATER next year!"
"We gotta look for that 10.5 million illegal aliens that… pic.twitter.com/Yh2DglH54u
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 2, 2025
Homan said federal agencies are already reporting record numbers of arrests and removals during the current fiscal year and described cooperation between Border Patrol and ICE as central to the administration’s enforcement strategy.
DHS has not announced an end date for the Minneapolis operations and said enforcement actions and investigations remain active.
