MINNEAPOLIS
At sunrise, the federal immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities begins anew. Hundreds of officers in tactical gear pour from a nondescript office building near the airport.
Within minutes, a fleet of unmarked SUVs and vans departs, forming the convoys that have become a feared and familiar presence on the streets of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and their suburbs.
Protesters arrive just as early, gathering across from the fenced federal compound that houses immigration offices and courts.
They brave the cold to shout as convoys roar past: “Go home!” and “ICE out!”
The tension escalates after dark. When the convoys return, protests often intensify—fences are shaken, cars are slapped.
Federal officers eventually advance, firing tear gas and flash grenades before hauling people away. “We’re not going anywhere!” a woman yelled one recent morning. “We’re here until you leave.”
This is the relentless rhythm of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s largest immigration crackdown to date, involving more than 2,000 officers.
The operation has pitched city and state leaders against the federal government, ignited daily clashes in these deeply liberal cities, and left a mother of three dead.
By James Kisoo
