Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell says talks with federal officials about a drawdown of immigration enforcement are "sketchy," and he has seen no reduction in personnel following the Jan. 24 fatal shooting in Minneapolis. Operation Metro Surge has produced more than 3,000 arrests and sparked criticism over tactics and use of ICE detainers. The state says 380 non-U.S. citizens are in custody—270 with detainers and 110 whom DHS could have targeted but did not—and is demanding a large federal drawdown plus a transparent, joint investigation into two recent deaths. Schnell warned the surge risks eroding trust in law enforcement and harming public safety.
Minnesota Corrections Chief: Federal Immigration Drawdown Plans 'Sketchy' as Surge Continues
Top Minnesota corrections official questions when immigration agencies will draw down forces
In the roughly week-and-a-half since federal immigration agents fatally shot a man in Minnesota, Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told CBS News there have been "conversations" with federal officials, including aides who report to White House border adviser Tom Homan. But Schnell said details about any deescalation remain "sketchy," and he has seen no clear sign of a reduction in federal personnel deployed to the state.
Operation Metro Surge — the federal enforcement campaign in the Minneapolis area that began in early December — has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests. The operation intensified scrutiny after a Border Patrol agent and a Customs and Border Protection officer shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Jan. 24, and after an earlier fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
Concerns About Tactics
Schnell said he remains "deeply concerned" about reported tactics, including agents showing up at bus stops and entering apartment buildings without a clear, targeted list of individuals to arrest. "We don't want roving bands of agents going into apartment buildings and asking people for their papers," he said. "We want a focused, targeted operation aimed at people who actually pose a risk to public safety."
State-Federal Cooperation And ICE Detainers
The Trump administration has urged Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis to increase cooperation in detaining and turning over people accused of being in the U.S. illegally, with Homan suggesting the timing of any federal drawdown could be "dependent upon cooperation." Federal officials have accused the state of not honoring ICE detainer requests, an assertion Schnell has consistently rejected.
ICE "detainers" are administrative requests asking a jail or prison to notify ICE before a person's release and, in some cases, to briefly hold that person so federal agents can assume custody. Because detainers are not issued by a court, many states — including Minnesota — treat them cautiously. Local officials caution that holding someone past their scheduled release without a court order can raise constitutional issues and legal liability. Minnesota's long-standing practice is to notify and coordinate with ICE when a noncitizen is released, without routinely extending detention.
Schnell said a recent state review found 380 non-U.S. citizens in Minnesota custody. Of those, 270 had active ICE detainers, leaving 110 people whom the federal government could have targeted but did not, even after state authorities alerted the Department of Homeland Security. "We notified them. They did not issue detainers," Schnell said.
He argued that DHS's failure to issue detainers for people the state identified undermines federal claims that Minnesota is blocking access to its prisons. "When they say, 'Let us into your prisons,' our response is, 'we are notifying you — and you're not even requesting everyone you could,'" Schnell said. He added that Minnesota cannot release people early from state sentences to federal custody because of obligations to victims and court orders; ICE can take custody only after sentences are complete.
What Minnesota Is Demanding
Schnell outlined two central demands for federal authorities. First, Gov. Tim Walz has requested a "dramatic and sizable" reduction in federal personnel, arguing the scale of the deployment is not justified by the number of people in Minnesota who could be removed. Despite a request for a formal plan, Schnell said the state has seen no detailed drawdown timeline.
Second, Minnesota is calling for a credible, transparent, joint investigation into the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, with state access to evidence in both cases. State officials say they have been blocked from material related to the shootings. "A credible investigation means a full review of evidence," Schnell said, calling for interviews with all involved, coordination between federal and state investigators, and consideration of both criminal and civil-rights law.
The FBI recently took the lead in investigating Pretti's death after Homeland Security Investigations had originally been tasked with the inquiry. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is also reviewing the case and described the FBI's involvement as "a good move," while noting persistent problems with the lack of detail from federal authorities.
Wider Public Safety Concerns
Schnell echoed warnings from sheriffs and police chiefs across the state that the federal surge could create gaps criminals might exploit. He stressed the broader risk: erosion of trust in law enforcement, fear in immigrant communities, disruption to routine policing, and diminished government credibility. "Governmental trust is fundamental. When we don't have it, we have a problem," he said.
Recent conversations with federal officials, Schnell added, have begun to refocus the discussion on "professional, constitutional policing" and accountability. "Accountability has to be on the government as well as the public," he said. "Misinformation fuels mistrust — and mistrust is our biggest problem right now."
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