Key Takeaways
- •Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) announced that Tom Homan ended Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota after 4,000 arrests and the location of 3,300 missing unaccompanied minors.
- •Keith Ellison (Attorney General, State of Minnesota) testified that the federal surge was political retribution and resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens by masked agents.
- •Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) accused Ellison of accepting campaign donations from individuals involved in a massive fraud scheme, leading to a heated exchange where Ellison called the claims "lies."
- •Republicans blamed Minnesota’s non-cooperation policies for necessitating federal surges, while Democrats condemned DHS for using "paramilitary" tactics and violating the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens.
- •This hearing underscores the ongoing conflict over sanctuary jurisdictions and federal authority, suggesting future legislative efforts will focus on DHS accountability and standardizing state-federal law enforcement coordination.
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Hearing Analysis
Overview
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held an oversight hearing on February 12, 2026, to examine the coordination of immigration policy between federal, state, and local authorities, with a specific focus on "Operation Metro Surge" in Minnesota. Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) opened the hearing by emphasizing the need to investigate conflicting accounts of federal enforcement actions and the tragic deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Preedy, during recent operations. Ranking Member Gary C. Peters (D-MI) criticized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for what he described as "heavy-handed tactics," including the use of masked agents and pepper spray against citizens exercising constitutional rights.
Key Testimony
The first panel featured Minnesota leaders who provided starkly different perspectives on the state’s "sanctuary" status. Witness Tom Emmer (House Majority Whip, U.S. House of Representatives) argued that the unrest in Minneapolis was a direct result of radical sanctuary policies that prioritize "criminal illegal aliens" over law-abiding citizens. He specifically criticized Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN) for legal opinions that he claimed prohibited local law enforcement from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers. Harry Niska (State Representative, Minnesota House of Representatives) echoed these concerns, citing state policies like "Driver’s Licenses for All" and the "North Star Promise" tuition program as incentives for illegal presence. Niska argued that the refusal of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) to assist in crowd control during federal operations directly contributed to the chaotic environment where the fatal shootings occurred.
In contrast, Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN) characterized Operation Metro Surge as "retribution" from the Trump administration against Minnesota’s political values. He testified that the surge involved 3,000 to 4,000 agents—roughly 8 to 10 percent of all ICE agents in the country—and resulted in the deaths of two citizens. Ellison called for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct independent investigations into the use of force and demanded that ICE provide a transparent accounting of all detainees. Paul Schnell (Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Corrections) defended the state’s record, asserting that the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) consistently notifies federal authorities when non-citizens are incarcerated for felonies. Schnell argued that the lack of federal coordination during the surge created a "public safety mess" and eroded long-standing trust between agencies.
Overview
The hearing featured several intense partisan exchanges. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) accused Attorney General Ellison of encouraging "trained activists" to obstruct legal law enforcement actions via encrypted signal chats, suggesting Ellison bore responsibility for the resulting violence. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) engaged in a heated confrontation with Ellison regarding the "Feeding Our Future" fraud scandal. Hawley alleged that Ellison met with individuals linked to the $250 million fraud scheme and accepted a $10,000 campaign contribution just days before the FBI raided the organization. Ellison dismissed Hawley’s questioning as a "theatrical performance" and denied any wrongdoing, asserting that his office assisted in the investigation.
Key Testimony
On the Democratic side, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Senator Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH) focused on the lack of transparency regarding evidence in the Good and Preedy shootings. Ellison testified that federal authorities have "stonewalled" state investigators by denying access to ballistics, vehicles, and crime scenes. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) highlighted the disproportionate scale of the federal presence, noting that the number of federal agents deployed exceeded the total number of state and local police in the affected areas.
Policy Proposals
Several policy mechanisms were discussed, most notably the 287(g) agreements, which allow state and local police to perform certain federal immigration functions. While Republicans argued these agreements are the "gold standard" for cooperation, Ellison noted that Minnesota law requires county board approval for such partnerships. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) questioned the distinction between honoring a warrant from another state versus an ICE detainer, leading to a debate over the legal weight of administrative detainers versus final orders of removal.
Overview
A significant development occurred during the hearing when Senator Lankford noted that Tom Homan (Border Czar) had just announced the end of Operation Metro Surge. Homan reported that the operation resulted in 4,000 total arrests and the identification of 3,300 previously "lost" unaccompanied minors. Despite the end of the surge, Democratic members emphasized that the "damage has been done" to community trust, while Republicans maintained that the surge was a necessary response to state-level non-cooperation. The committee indicated that further oversight of DHS and ICE tactics, particularly regarding the use of masks and identification by agents, would remain a priority.
Key Testimony
Organizations identified in the hearing include: - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): The primary agency conducting Operation Metro Surge; criticized for its tactics, lack of coordination, and use of masked agents. - U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS): The parent agency of ICE and CBP; criticized for its budget usage and for Secretary Nome’s failure to testify. - Minneapolis Police Department (MPD): Discussed regarding its policy of not assisting ICE with immigration enforcement or crowd control. - U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC): The body conducting the oversight hearing. - Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Requested by AG Ellison to lead independent investigations into the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Preedy. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP): Involved in the federal surge operations in Minnesota. - Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC): Represented by Commissioner Schnell; discussed in the context of prisoner notification and detainer compliance. - U.S. Border Patrol: Agents were identified as part of the federal surge force in Minneapolis. - Minnesota House of Representatives: Represented by Harry Niska; discussed in the context of state legislative policy choices. - U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ): Criticized for its handling of use-of-force investigations and its relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. - U.S. House of Representatives (House): Represented by Witness Tom Emmer. - White House: Referenced regarding social media posts about the surge and overall administration policy. - Feeding Our Future: A nonprofit at the center of a major fraud investigation; used by Sen. Hawley to criticize AG Ellison. - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (England): Referenced by AG Ellison in a historical comparison to the Boston Massacre. - Hennepin County Sheriff's Office: Discussed regarding its 2021 directive to limit cooperation with ICE. - Minnesota Star Tribune: Cited by Sen. Hawley regarding its reporting on the Feeding Our Future scandal. - Minnesota State Patrol: Mentioned in the context of total law enforcement numbers in the state. - New York Post: Cited by Sen. Hawley regarding reporting on AG Ellison’s campaign contributions. - Google: Mentioned as a tool for the public to find recordings of AG Ellison’s meetings. - U.S. Attorney's Office: Mentioned regarding staff departures following the federal surge. - Greenland: Mentioned by Sen. Hassan regarding her recent travels and international perceptions of the U.S. - Partners in Nutrition: A nonprofit mentioned by Sen. Hawley as having raised early concerns about fraud. - American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Mentioned by Witness Emmer regarding lawsuits against counties that cooperate with ICE. - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI): Praised by Commissioner Schnell for its collaborative work on transnational crime.
Transcript
Today we will examine how immigration policy is carried out at the federal, state and local levels in Minnesota and across the country. We're going to examine whether failures of coordination or communication contributed to the events that followed. Anytime an American citizen is shot in the streets of this country, it's a tragedy. That's true whether the individual is a private citizen exercising their constitutional rights or a law enforcement officer performing official duties. Loss of life demands scrutiny, not spin. In Minnesota, sharply conflicting accounts have emerged, so we want to get to the truth today. State and local officials tell one story, federal officials tell another story. Depending on the media source, the public may hear only one side. The hearing today, though, is to evaluate the facts and not to defend any one particular narrative. We will hear from two panels. First, leaders from Minnesota will describe conditions on the ground, the level of cooperation with federal authorities and how tensions escalated. Second, leaders from CBP and ICE will explain the challenges of conducting enforcement operations under intense public scrutiny. We've also heard repeated claims that Minnesota or Minneapolis in particular is a so-called sanctuary jurisdiction. That term is often loosely applied and means different things to different people, but we want to explore what that means and whether it's part of the problem today. State and local officials dispute the characterization, federal officials cite limits on the cooperation. Not every state operates this way. We don't seem to have this tension or problem between state and federal government in other states. Why? We need to understand what cooperation actually looks like in Minnesota and how it can be better. We need to look where communication has failed and we need to determine whether this was a failure of policy, coordination or leadership on one side or both sides. In a free society, filming government officials in public is a constitutional right, it's not an act of aggression. Americans are led to believe... excuse me in the back... Americans are led to believe that exercising the right of being there and protesting shouldn't place them at the risk of lethal force. If it does, public trust collapses. At the same time, federal officials made public statements implying that firearms are prohibited at protests. Those statements were later clarified, but they're erroneous and not helpful. The First and Second Amendment are not suspended during periods of unrest or during protests. When officials speak imprecisely or rashly about constitutional limits, especially in volatile moments, they risk inflaming the situation rather than stabilizing it. Law enforcement officers perform difficult and dangerous work and the vast majority do so honorably. But when a shooting occurs, the proper response is not to dismiss concerns or rush to judgment. Traditionally, the officers are removed from the line, even in very justified shootings, even in shootings when they've been shot at multiple times, wounded, the officers are typically removed and there's an investigation because we think lethal force is such a thing that should be controlled and restricted that we always investigate it. That's what needed to happen here and should happen. The process protects both the public and the law enforcement officers. But we must avoid on all sides just resorting to inflammatory rhetoric. Declaring nothing to see here or rushing to label a U.S. citizen a domestic terrorist before the evidence is established undermines trust and escalates already volatile situations. Both parties have weaponized the term domestic terrorist to target those with opposing views and it needs to end. Many Americans have seen the videos. Many see an individual retreating. Many see someone attempting to assist a woman on the ground before being seized from behind. Reasonable people may disagree about those videos, but the truth must be determined by evidence, not narrative. I support immigration and customs enforcement. I believe dangerous criminals should be removed from our communities. But in order for ICE to be successful, they must restore public trust. We must acknowledge when federal agents are placed in chaotic crowd control situations that the risk of tragedy increases. At the same time, state and local decisions that limit cooperation affect how and where federal enforcement is carried out. Escalatory statements from any level of government only make it worse. Reports that cooperation in Minnesota is improving and that agents will return to their normal assignments and be repositioned outside of Minnesota are encouraging. Restoring trust, however, requires more than assurances. It requires independent review, clear standards for the use of force and honest accountability. Government that values liberty must be willing to examine its own actions. That is how we protect civil liberties, that's how we protect law enforcement and that's how we protect against future loss of life. Senator Peters.
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