Trump administration ends immigration crackdown in Minnesota

The Trump administration will end its immigration operation in Minnesota that triggered large protests and nationwide outrage following the killing of two US citizens, White House border czar Tom Homan announced on Thursday, Febuary 12.

Thousands of federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted weeks of sweeping raids and arrests in what the administration claims were targeted missions against criminals.

Tom Homan said Trump had approved his request to conclude the operation, adding he would stay in Minnesota “a little longer to oversee the drawdown, to ensure its success”.

Homan said Operation Metro Surge had resulted in many illegal immigrants who had committed violent crimes being detained for deportation. But the surge also sparked nationwide protests when two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by immigration officers.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1.

Federal authorities say the sweeps focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area have led to the arrest of more than 4,000 people. While the Trump administration has called those arrested “dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” many people with no criminal records, including children and U.S. citizens, have also been detained.

About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say President Donald Trump has “gone too far” in sending federal immigration agents into U.S. cities, according to a new AP-NORC poll.