ICE begins 'largest immigration operation ever' in Minnesota
- - ICE begins 'largest immigration operation ever' in Minnesota
Christopher Cann, USA TODAYJanuary 6, 2026 at 8:31 PM
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Federal immigration agents are "surging" into Minnesota, officials said, amid a deepening fraud scandal that's enveloped state and national politics.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons described the deployment in an interview on Newsmax as "the largest immigration operation ever." He did not say how many agents the deployment would involve or how long it was expected to last.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told USA TODAY the agency does not "get into law enforcement footprint" for the safety of officers.
Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers surround a vehicle during a traffic stop before leaving without detaining anyone in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., Jan. 5, 2026.
The development comes as Hilton said it severed ties with a hotel franchise in Minneapolis that had allegedly canceled the reservations of ICE agents working in the area. The company apologized and said it would contact all of its franchises nationwide to "reinforce the standards we hold them to" and "help ensure this does not happen again."
More: Homeland Security blasts Hilton Hotels over canceled ICE reservation
Immigration agents have been operating in Minneapolis for several weeks as pressure ramps up amid the fraud scandal that's led to federal probes and political shakeups. According to McLaughlin, agents have made more than 1,000 arrests since first deploying resources to Minnesota.
On Monday, Dec. 5, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he plans to end his reelection bid, saying the election would distract him from "defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity."
1 / 37Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: His career in photosMinnesota Gov. Tim Walz greets students as they arrive for the first day of school at Deerwood Elementary on Sept. 2, 2025 in Eagan, Minn. The majority of Minnesota school children returned to school after a mass shooting the previous week at Annunciation Church and School which killed two and injured 21 others.
Since 2022, the Justice Department has charged more than 80 people, many of them U.S. citizens of Somali descent, in connection with fraud schemes targeting government-funded programs, including child nutrition and housing initiatives. At least 60 suspects have been convicted in multiple fraud cases in the state.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has seized on the scandal, calling out Walz and targeting the Somali population, at one point calling them "garbage" and telling reporters, "I don’t want them in my country."
In December, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security both announced a surge of federal agents tasked with tracking down fraudsters. Other federal agencies have also taken action, including the Small Business Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, freezing thousands of business loans and childcare payments.
The Twin Cities region is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, with about 84,000 residents living in the area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The majority of Somalis in Minnesota are U.S. citizens who were either born in the country or became citizens through the naturalization process.
Christopher Cann is a national breaking news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Federal immigration agents flood into Minnesota amid fraud scandal
Source: “AOL Breaking”
