Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said a new wave of federal personnel will arrive in Minneapolis over two days as immigration enforcement operations expand following unrest and an officer-involved shooting.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that the Department of Homeland Security is dispatching “hundreds more” federal agents to Minneapolis, with arrivals scheduled over Sunday and Monday, as immigration enforcement operations continue amid protests and heightened security concerns.
Speaking on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Noem said the additional deployments are intended to protect federal personnel already operating in the Twin Cities area. “We’re sending more officers today and tomorrow… there’ll be hundreds more, in order to allow our ICE and our Border Patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely,” she said during the interview.
The announcement follows the recent deployment of roughly 2,000 federal immigration agents to Minneapolis. Noem said the operation is focused on pursuing criminal illegal immigrants and addressing alleged large-scale fraud involving federal entitlement programs.
Tensions escalated after a Jan. 7 incident in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a protester during an encounter involving a vehicle. Authorities have said the woman struck the officer with her car while attempting to flee. The shooting sparked days of protests and drew sharp criticism from Democratic officials in Minnesota.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have both criticized DHS and ICE over the incident and called for immigration operations in the city to be halted. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., said Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation, arguing that federal officials have already publicly characterized what occurred.
“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw—what they think happened,” Smith said on ABC’s This Week.
Frey echoed similar concerns during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, saying local officials should play a role in the inquiry. “Let’s have the investigation in the hands of someone that isn’t biased,” he said in the interview.
The Trump administration has defended the ICE officer, saying he acted in self-defense and in defense of fellow agents. Video footage released publicly shows a woman in an SUV blocking traffic and honking her horn, officers ordering her to exit the vehicle, and the vehicle then lurching forward, striking an officer as she attempted to drive away, followed by the officer firing his weapon.
In a post on X on Sunday, Noem described the incident as a “domestic terror attack” against ICE agents and blamed what she called “sanctuary politicians” for creating volatile conditions. “What happened in Minneapolis is a direct consequence of sanctuary politicians, like Tim Walz and Jacob Frey, who constantly demonize and vilify our brave officers,” Noem wrote in the post, which included video clips of her remarks to CNN.
“Sanctuary politicians are allowing situations around the country to become volatile,” she added. “They’re not doing their jobs, and they haven’t for years.”
DHS has said violence against ICE agents has surged nationwide. In a recent statement, the department said assaults on ICE officers increased 1,300 percent year over year, with vehicular attacks rising 3,200 percent. The department also cited an October 2025 incident in Texas in which a gunman killed two ICE detainees at a federal facility before taking his own life.
According to White House border czar Tom Homan, the officer involved in the Minneapolis shooting has since been doxxed online and subjected to death threats, including threats directed at members of his family.
Demonstrations against ICE intensified late last week. A protest on Friday escalated into a riot, with participants throwing rocks, ice, and other objects at federal officers. Thousands more marched through Minneapolis on Saturday in response to the shooting, as federal authorities prepared for additional deployments in the days ahead.
Original article
Comments