Gov. Walz challenges DHS Secretary Noem on federal agents detaining children

Gov. Walz calls on feds to pay for ICE surge costs

Gov. Tim Walz reacted to Tom Homan's announcement that the Trump admin would bring an end to the ICE surge in Minnesota.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Gov. Tim Walz is pressing for answers from federal authorities regarding the detention of children in Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge. 

Gov. Walz demands transparency 

What we know:

Gov. Walz sent a second letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, demanding information about children detained by federal immigration agents.

The governor first requested the information more than a month ago, and his office says he has not yet received a response. 

Walz's letter to Noem

What they're saying:

Here's what Walz demanded in his letter to Noem:

"Dear Secretary Noem, Over a month has passed since I demanded information about the children and other individuals detained or arrested in Minnesota and held in federal detention facilities. I have yet to receive a response. High-profile cases such as Liam Ramos-Conejo have drawn international attention and illustrate the fear that many families are living with every day. 

"The Trump Administration’s actions have created lasting trauma and fear in the places where children should feel safest – their schools, their places of worship, and their communities. Your agency has operated lawlessly and without transparency. Your agents have taken at least six children from one school district alone. In fact, your agents took so many children from the same Minnesota school that we heard of new detentions from classmates who recognized each other through fences at your detention facility in Dilley, Texas. Your agents took a teenager, hid him from his family, and sent him across state lines to a facility where a staffer was charged with sexually abusing minors and staff have been hazing youth. And we don’t know how many other students across our state are unlawfully detained as a result of your administration’s actions. 

"Minnesota families deserve to know where these children are. Furthermore, despite assurances from your colleague Tom Homan, federal immigration officers are still present in huge numbers in the state – at least triple the number pre-Metro Surge. This continued presence harms local businesses, undermines community health and stability, and places additional strain on local law enforcement. I expect your office to provide weekly updates on the number of federal law enforcement agents in Minnesota until the federal agents return to pre-Metro Surge numbers and the whereabouts of all detained children are fully accounted for and returned to Minnesota.

"To ensure public accountability and transparency, my office has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for official documents related to Operation Metro Surge and Operation Parris and the detention of children in Minnesota. We will not remain silent while Minnesota’s children remain missing. Families deserve answers. Communities deserve transparency."

Community impact 

The backstory:

Gov. Walz's concerns extend to the ongoing federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota. Operation Metro Surge, which led to an influx of federal agents in the state, led to some students staying home to do school virtually, and small businesses to closing over ICE safety concerns.

What's next:

In pursuit of public accountability, Gov. Walz's office has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain documents related to federal operations, and the detention of children in Minnesota.