U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested more than 500 illegal aliens in Minnesota as part of a large-scale enforcement campaign launched in early 2026, according to statements from the Department of Homeland Security and federal officials.
The operation, referred to by officials as Operation Metro Surge, has targeted individuals with prior deportation orders, criminal records, or connections to immigration-related fraud. DHS officials said the arrests were made over the past two months as federal investigators surged resources into the state.
In an interview on the Charlie Kirk Show, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said federal agents have also investigated approximately 1,000 immigration-fraud cases during the same period. McLaughlin stated that fraud was substantiated in roughly half of those cases.
According to DHS, many of the arrested illegal aliens are from Somalia. Federal authorities have said Somali nationals make up a significant portion of nearly 100 individuals federally charged in various schemes to defraud government programs in Minnesota.
McLaughlin said “hundreds” of federal investigators are currently operating throughout the state, conducting enforcement actions at locations including day care centers, health care facilities, and other organizations receiving taxpayer funding.
“These suspected perpetrators are really trying to cover their tracks,” McLaughlin said, adding that some organizations were allegedly attempting to appear legitimate while operating fraudulent schemes.
ICE officials said the agency began increasing enforcement activity in Minnesota well before public attention intensified around alleged child care fraud involving state-administered federal programs. Federal authorities have since cut off funding to a Minnesota child care program and are requiring stricter documentation from providers nationwide.
Recent enforcement actions have occurred at multiple locations, including a Hennepin County building in Minnetonka and a construction site in Chanhassen, according to information shared by federal officials. ICE stated that the operation has also focused on individuals with outstanding removal orders and prior criminal convictions.
Minnesota has seen protests and resistance to ICE operations in recent years. The state is considered a sanctuary jurisdiction, and Minneapolis recently strengthened a local ordinance prohibiting city employees from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
Responding to criticism of the enforcement surge, Todd Lyons said sanctuary policies complicate federal efforts.
“If sanctuary cities would change their policies, and turn these violent criminal aliens over to us instead of releasing them into the public, we would not have to go out to the communities and do this,” Lyons said.
ICE officials indicated enforcement operations in Minnesota are ongoing.
