Is Trump Administration doubling down on ICE tactics?
ICE tactics escalated from city to city
Before thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents arrived in Minnesota for Operation Metro Surge, aggressive immigration enforcement tactics in Chicago and Los Angeles foreshadowed what was coming.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As it loses power in Washington, the Trump Administration appears to be doubling down on aggressive immigration enforcement across the country.
What we know:
As it loses power in Washington, the Trump Administration appears to be doubling down on aggressive immigration enforcement across the country.
The architect of the controversial ICE operations was promoted days after sweeping mid-term losses. Immigration attorneys say ICE activity has been ramping back up in Minnesota. And video of an ICE arrest in Robbinsdale last week sparked memories from Operation Metro Surge.
"Thin I.C.E." – a new series from FOX 9 Documentaries– details how immigration operations have escalated during Trump's second term.
"And in each state, it just got worse and worse and worse," said Jose Alvillar, with Unidos Minnesota.
By the time thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents flooded the Twin Cities metro area last January, a pattern of aggressive tactics and dragnet immigration enforcement had already emerged in other major cities across the country.
From Chicago to Minneapolis
Why you should care:
The Trump Administration has repeatedly claimed they are targeting the "worst of the worst" during immigration operations.
But during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago last year, they also wrongfully detained immigrants, falsely accused observers of interfering with federal law enforcement and shot at least two people.
The operation in Chicago resulted in numerous legal challenges that revealed federal agents provided misinformation, tampered with evidence and bragged about deadly force.
It foreshadowed what would happen in Minnesota months later.
"I do have very close, very close friends in Minneapolis, one of whom works in immigration, and I did warn them right away, 'they're really coming in hot, they're really coming in aggressive,'" said Theresa Kleinhaus, a civil rights attorney in Chicago.
And yet those warning signs still could not fully prepare Minnesota for the impact of Operation Metro Surge.
More ICE than police
By the numbers:
"Midway Blitz at its height had 500 (agents)," said Gov. Tim Walz. "And we had, by most accounts, I mean, it's hard to get true numbers… above 3,000."
At one point, there were more federal immigration agents in Minneapolis and St. Paul than local police officers.
"In Minneapolis, they could fully saturate and occupy," Kleinhaus said.
The feds deployed four or five times as many agents in a metro area with a much smaller footprint.
"You put 3,000 agents in a very tiny Twin Cities, you’re going to bump into an agent," said Luis Argueta Jr. with Unidos Minnesota.
Unidos Minnesota, which ultimately trained thousands of legal observers, started preparing for a surge in June 2025 after seeing the aggressive tactics being utilized in Los Angeles.
"And so by the time they got to Minnesota, we knew that things were gonna be really bad," Alvillar said.
RELATED: Feds spent millions stockpiling chemical munitions before Operation Metro Surge
Operation Metro Surge wound down after the deadly shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti led to widespread criticism of ICE tactics.
More video of ICE arrests
Local perspective:
After a brief lull, immigration activity has picked up in recent months, according to immigration attorneys.
A 45-year-old man from Mexico who has lived in the country illegally since the late 1990s was recently followed home from the grocery store, punched, and detained in front of his crying daughter.
An attorney for Jose Ruelas Viorato said the detention was unlawful and that Viorato has a Minnesota driver's license, filed the proper immigration paperwork and does not have a violent criminal record.
Adding to the angst that ICE is ramping up aggressive tactics again in Minnesota, Stephen Miller, the architect of the Trump Administration's immigration tactics, was promoted to Chief of Staff days after a blue wave swept the nation's mid-term elections.
DHS defended the arrest and claimed the man threw a bird feeder at agents while trying to flee.
Watch Thin I.C.E. documentary series
![Thin I.C.E. documentary [TRAILER]](https://static-media.fox.com/fmcv3/prod/fts/6abshi6w283zhx2z/w9iaungbnmkqpwyc.jpg)
Thin I.C.E. documentary [TRAILER]
"Thin I.C.E." is a three-part documentary series that details the Trump Administration’s immigration operations in Chicago and Minneapolis which included constitutional challenges, violent tactics and deadly shootings.
What's next:
Thin I.C.E. is a three-part series by FOX 9 Documentaries detailing the Trump Administration's immigration operations in Chicago and Minneapolis that resulted in constitutional challenges, violent tactics and deadly shootings.
You can watch Part I: "Worst of the Worst" and Part II: "Domestic Terrorists" now on FOX9.com, FOX LOCAL and the FOX 9 YouTube channel.
The final installment of the docuseries — titled "Chaos" — premieres Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 10:35 p.m. CT. on FOX 9 and streaming on FOX9.com, FOX LOCAL and the FOX 9 YouTube channel.
The Source: FOX 9 conducted dozens of interviews, analyzed hundreds of court records and reviewed hours of body video footage recorded during immigration operations in Chicago and Minneapolis.