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By Hollie Silverman
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Minneapolis officials said on Friday that Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement deployment by the Trump administration, cost the city at least $203 million.
The statement came Friday as the White House began winding down the operation across Minnesota following months of occupation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, and emergency management officials detailed losses to wages, restaurants and small businesses, housing stability, food security, and mental health services as agents surged personnel into the metro beginning in December 2025.
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The assessment also comes as calls for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to resign in the face of the operation that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti continue.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has insisted that it is pursuing only illegal immigrants with criminal records in its operation.
City leaders said the scale of the reported impacts threatened core municipal services and amplified needs among vulnerable residents as the operation disrupted daily life and commerce across Minneapolis.
The assessment pointed to up to 3,000 federal agents operating in neighborhoods and estimated that about 76,000 people faced food insecurity tied to the surge. Officials also warned the city’s budget had absorbed more than $6 million in police overtime, staff payroll, and operational costs in January, compounding a preexisting fiscal challenge, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
What To Know
Minneapolis released a “Preliminary Impact Assessment & Relief Needs Overview” that tallied at least $203.1 million in January impacts, including an estimated $47 million in lost wages among residents who stayed home from work out of fear and about $81 million in restaurant and small-business revenue losses.
The assessment cited an additional $15.7 million in rent assistance needs and a weekly $2.4 million cost to meet food needs for approximately 76,200 people.
Officials emphasized the totals likely understated the full impact, noting the business-loss figures drew from a voluntary survey with responses from 82 of nearly 1,300 restaurants.
The Minneapolis Police Department was also forced to extend shifts and canceled days off, driving overtime that, over five days in January, exceeded the department’s full-year overtime budget, according to city officials.
Frey requested state and federal relief and said the city council had approved $1 million for rent assistance for roughly 250 families and $500,000 for immigration legal services, with a proposal for $5 million in small-business support pending, according to the Star Tribune.
Separately, the Minneapolis Foundation launched a $4 million Economic Response Fund offering $2,500–$10,000 grants to affected businesses statewide, the Star Tribune reported.
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When Did Operation Metro Surge End?
Border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that the administration would wind down Operation Metro Surge, with most agents leaving in the days that followed.
Have All ICE and CBP Agents Left Minneapolis?
As of February 14, officials and local reporting indicated a drawdown was underway, with “most” agents scheduled to depart over the current and following week, while city leaders continued to call for an immediate, full withdrawal.
What People Are Saying
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in the press release Friday: “The damage caused by Operation Metro Surge doesn’t disappear just because the operation is ending. Families were torn apart, small businesses lost millions and students had their learning disrupted. That impact is real. But Minneapolis has never let hardship define us. We will do what we’ve always done: rebuild even stronger—united in the city we love.”
Rachel Sayre, director of Minneapolis Emergency Management, said in the press release: “This preliminary assessment is by no means exhaustive, and these totals are almost certainly undercounts. The impacts we are seeing as a city will be felt for decades, even generations to come. We need significant funding assistance to meet the urgent needs of our community. This surge has been devastating to so many of our friends and neighbors. It is our collective duty to take care of them as a Welcoming City.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, wrote on X on Friday: “Metro Surge is ending, and that’s good news. But we have a long road to recovery. Our small businesses, workers, and children have felt the strain. Now it’s time to ensure this never happens again.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier this month: "Secretary Noem still has the utmost confidence and trust of the president of the United States, and she's continuing to oversee the entire Department of Homeland Security and all of the immigration enforcement that's taking place across the whole entire country."
What Happens Next
City leaders requested state and federal relief to stabilize core services and support affected residents and businesses as the operation winds down, with council votes on additional aid expected in the coming weeks.
Local foundations and nonprofits, including the Minneapolis Foundation’s Economic Response Fund, began distributing grants to small businesses facing cash-flow crises, with applications surging since launch, CBS Minnesota reported.
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