The federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota has concluded, but the intense political debate over President Trump's immigration policies continues to escalate in Washington.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of "Operation Metro Surge" at a news conference in Minneapolis, stating that "a significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue to the next week."
The operation came under intense scrutiny after two people were killed by federal agents in separate shootings - Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Video of Pretti's shooting raised questions about the exact timing of when agents removed his gun during the struggle, as he did not have a weapon in his hand when federal agents pinned him to the ground.
Watch: Sen. Johnson has heated exchange with Minnesota's AG as ICE enforcement surge set to end
The controversy sparked a heated exchange during a Senate hearing between Senator Ron Johnson and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Johnson blamed Minnesota officials for escalating tensions instead of working with ICE.
"It never should have happened. Now we can investigate. But I can't imagine being a law enforcement official where I know my colleagues have been shot at, their vehicles rammed, that their trained activists deployed," Johnson said. "A tragedy was going to happen, and you encouraged it. And you ought to feel damn guilty about it."
Ellison fired back, calling Johnson's statements false.
"Are you asking me for comment, Senator? Cause everything you said was untrue. It was a nice theatrical performance, but it was all lies," Ellison said.
The political battle has extended to funding debates, with Senate Democrats like Tammy Baldwin blocking Department of Homeland Security funding unless Republicans and the White House agree to changes that will "rein in ICE."
"It is just another blank check for ICE to terrorize more communities," Baldwin said. "I will not support more funding for ICE without stronger guardrails to stop the lawlessness, chaos, and violence that we've all watched firsthand in recent weeks."
The House passed a DHS funding bill with support from a few Democrats, including funding for body cameras. However, without Senate approval, there could be another partial government shutdown.
"To Donald Trump, it's time to wake up and admit your immigration policies have gone too far and are making Americans far less safe," said Baldwin ahead of her no vote.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz expressed gratitude for how people in his state responded to the federal operation.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
