The Department of Homeland Security has been promoting a wave of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "arrests" in Minnesota — but a new review suggests many of the cases cited were not fresh apprehensions so much as transfers of people already in state custody.
A report suggests the DHS paraded old jailhouse transfers in Minnesota as fresh arrests during ICE's surge in the state. / Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
MPR News analyzed records for the 13 individuals named on a Jan. 10 DHS list that touted ICE arrests tied to a so-called "Operation Metro Surge." The reporter found that most of those people had been moved into ICE custody before the surge began in December 2025.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials have accused Minnesota of failing to cooperate with ICE on arrests. But the Department of Corrections says that it coordinated with ICE on the release of 84 people last year. / Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
According to Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) records, five of the 13 were picked up by ICE from state prisons between August and November 2025. Three others were transferred to ICE custody years earlier — in 2021, 2012 and as far back as 2003 — under previous presidential administrations.
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino has is overseeing more than 2,500 federal immigration agents on the ground in Minneapolis. / Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images
DHS Statement: "Below are the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens that our brave ICE officers arrested, despite the efforts of rioters and sanctuary politicians to protect them."
MPR News asked whether the Jan. 10 list counted jailhouse transfers as new arrests; DHS did not directly answer. It is unclear whether other federal releases use the same approach — MPR's review focused only on the Jan. 10 list.
Federal agents deploy tear gas and pepper balls against community members during a protest as tensions intensified following a shooting involving federal law enforcement in north Minneapolis. / Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images
The DOC acknowledged coordinating with ICE on transfers and said it worked with the agency when detainers were present. The department also pushed back on DHS’s broader figures: DHS told reporters there were nearly 470 alleged criminal noncitizens released statewide and more than 1,360 active detainers across Minnesota jurisdictions, but the DOC called those numbers "inexplicable," saying only 207 people in Minnesota state prisons are non-U.S. citizens.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other DHS officials have used allegations of local noncooperation to justify aggressive enforcement in Minnesota, criticizing Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for what the agency calls "sanctuary" policies. Some Minnesota county jails — whose policies are locally set — have declined to honor ICE detainers, which are requests to hold people so federal agents can take custody.
Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told MPR News: "We are part of the overall criminal justice system and our statutory obligation is to provide support, including to ICE and notification to ICE, and we do that." In a DOC release, Schnell added: "Public safety depends on facts, not fear. When federal agencies make claims that are demonstrably false, it undermines trust and disrespects the dedicated professionals who work every day to keep Minnesotans safe."
Why This Matters
The dispute highlights how federal agencies present enforcement activity to the public and raises questions about transparency. Reporting that packages older jail-to-federal-custody transfers as new "arrests" can skew public perception of enforcement impact, complicate relations between state and federal authorities, and affect local policy debates over immigration cooperation.
