Mayor RAGES After Getting Exactly What He Demanded

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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey predictably dismissed a major federal immigration enforcement drawdown as insufficient, even as the Trump administration rewards Minnesota’s newfound cooperation with a 700-agent reduction that progressive leaders demanded for months.

Story Snapshot

White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced immediate withdrawal of 700 ICE and Border Patrol agents from Minnesota on February 4, 2026, reducing federal presence from 2,700-3,000 to approximately 2,000 agents.
Mayor Jacob Frey called the drawdown “not de-escalation,” insisting Operation Metro Surge must end completely despite his own calls for reducing federal presence.
The partial withdrawal follows unprecedented cooperation from Minnesota state and local officials on criminal alien detainers after months of resistance that previously left over 110 dangerous criminals undetained.
Operation Metro Surge resulted in more than 4,000 arrests targeting criminal undocumented immigrants, vindicating the administration’s enforcement priorities in a former sanctuary-friendly jurisdiction.

Federal Drawdown Rewards State Compliance

Border Czar Tom Homan announced the immediate withdrawal of 700 federal agents from Minnesota during a February 4 press conference in Minneapolis, crediting state and local officials for new cooperation on transferring criminal aliens to federal custody. The drawdown reduces the federal footprint from approximately 2,700-3,000 agents deployed during Operation Metro Surge to roughly 2,000 personnel, still significantly above the pre-operation baseline of 150 agents. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the “unprecedented cooperation” that enabled the partial pullback while maintaining enforcement capabilities. President Trump himself ordered the reduction for a “softer touch” approach while keeping pressure on criminal targets, demonstrating flexibility when local jurisdictions respect federal immigration authority.

Frey’s Predictable Complaint Ignores Progress

Mayor Jacob Frey issued a statement calling the 700-agent reduction “a step in the right direction” but immediately complained it falls short, declaring “2,000 ICE officers still here is not de-escalation” and demanding the operation end immediately. His response exemplifies the predictable stance of Democratic urban leaders who simultaneously criticize federal immigration enforcement as excessive while refusing to acknowledge when authorities respond to their concerns. Frey claimed Operation Metro Surge caused “catastrophic” impacts on businesses and residents, yet offered no solutions for removing criminal aliens that Minnesota previously refused to detain. Governor Tim Walz echoed similar demands for complete withdrawal, maintaining progressive resistance even as state corrections officials negotiated the very drawdown now dismissed as inadequate.

Operation Metro Surge Delivered Results

The multi-month Operation Metro Surge produced over 4,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants, focusing heavily on individuals with criminal records, validating the administration’s commitment to removing dangerous aliens from American communities. The operation faced resistance including protests at schools and daycares, lawsuits from teachers unions seeking to block agents from school property, and tragically, a fatal shooting involving federal agents approximately ten days before Homan’s announcement. These disruptions stemmed partly from Minnesota’s prior sanctuary-style policies that ignored federal detainer requests for roughly 110 criminal aliens, forcing ICE to conduct field operations instead of secure jail transfers. The recent shift toward cooperation by Minnesota Department of Corrections officials and local counties enabled safer, more efficient enforcement, proving that state compliance reduces community friction while maintaining border security.

Broader Implications for Immigration Enforcement

The Minnesota drawdown establishes a clear precedent for how the Trump administration balances aggressive immigration enforcement with practical responsiveness to local cooperation, sending a message to other Democratic-led jurisdictions nationwide. Homan made the partial withdrawal contingent on ending “illegal and threatening activities” against federal agents and sustaining cooperation on criminal transfers, reserving the right to surge resources again if compliance falters. This approach pressures sanctuary-leaning cities to choose between productive partnership or continued federal presence, testing whether blue-state resistance will persist into 2026 midterm elections when immigration remains a top voter concern. The administration’s 4,000 arrests demonstrate commitment to removing criminal aliens regardless of local obstruction, while the conditional drawdown shows willingness to scale back when states uphold their constitutional duty to support federal law enforcement rather than undermine public safety.

Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell noted before the announcement that details remained “sketchy” and no visible drawdown had occurred yet, suggesting federal-state coordination improved rapidly once serious negotiations replaced political posturing. The addition of body-worn cameras for agents represented another federal concession addressing community concerns, though progressive critics like local advocates claim federal actions “broke” trust requiring full repair beyond partial troop reductions. The Trump administration’s strategy effectively forced Minnesota Democrats into a corner—cooperate and see reduced federal presence, or maintain resistance and accept sustained operations targeting the criminal aliens their policies previously shielded from deportation.