Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday that more than 4,300 migrants have been removed from the Minneapolis area since January — a figure that includes hundreds with criminal records and a handful of people described as suspected terrorists.
Noem Claims DHS Is Removing “The Worst of The Worst”
At a press conference alongside senior ICE officials, Noem said the removals were part of a broader national enforcement push by the Trump administration, which she claimed has led to 515,000 deportations across the U.S. this year. Of those, she said, roughly 70 percent of individuals had pending criminal charges. “We enforce the law,” Noem said. “And our focus is on removing the worst of the worst.”
How Does DHS Classify Migrants? Noem’s Not Telling
Deisy Perez begins to weep while walking alongside a bus escorted by several U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents and Department of Homeland Security officers at the DHS field office in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, May 4, 2025. Multiple immigrant rights groups gathered to protest what they believed to be a multi-agency operation to detain-noncitizens overnight. “I am a DACA recipient former undocumented child, I work in immigration now, I see the families affected every single day,” Perez said.
The secretary said federal agents in Minneapolis had identified 3,316 migrants with criminal histories, as well as 98 gang members, 11 known or suspected terrorists, and two foreign fugitives. Noem did not provide additional details about the criteria used to classify migrants into those categories or the nature of their alleged offenses Last month, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against Minneapolis and St. Paul, accusing the cities of obstructing federal immigration enforcement by limiting cooperation between local police and ICE agents.
Tim Walz Says Noem The Administration Is Going After “Blue” Cities
The legal battle has become a flashpoint in a broader fight between the White House and Democratic governors over how immigration enforcement should be carried out — and how far the federal government can go in asserting control over local jurisdictions. Two weeks ago, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he expects President Trump to deploy the National Guard to the state, similar to earlier deployments in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Memphis. “I think it’s logical for them to come here,” Walz said at the North Star Summit, adding that the administration appears to be “targeting blue cities” for maximum political impact. Walz said his administration has been preparing to challenge any federal troop deployment in court, calling the possibility “an overreach of executive power.”
Trump’s Policy’s Are Drawing Criticism Across The Country
The renewed federal activity in Minnesota comes as Trump’s immigration policies continue to draw sharp legal scrutiny. In Oregon, a federal judge is weighing whether to lift a restraining order that prevents National Guard deployment in Portland, while the Supreme Court is considering a similar case out of Chicago Trump, who has framed immigration enforcement as central to his presidency, said Thursday he would pause a planned deployment to San Francisco, citing conversations with “friends” in the city and Mayor Daniel Lurie, who reportedly urged him to reconsider.
Destabilizing Actions
Civil rights advocates have warned that such large-scale enforcement actions could destabilize immigrant communities and deepen mistrust between residents and law enforcement. For now, the state is bracing for what could be the next major test of federal power — and another courtroom showdown between Trump’s Department of Homeland Security and a Democratic governor unwilling to yield.
