By Naveen Athrappully
More than 400 illegal immigrants have been arrested in Minnesota by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of Operation Metro Surge, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement on Dec. 12.
Operation Metro Surge targets the “worst of the worst” illegal immigrants who had flocked to Minnesota, assuming the state’s “sanctuary” politicians would protect them, DHS said.
Sanctuary jurisdictions are places in the country where local or state officials refuse to enforce federal immigration laws or cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Minnesota is one of such states, according to an Aug. 5 statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Among the arrested were a Burmese national convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct using force or coercion, a Somali convicted of robbery, a Laotian convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child under 13, and an Ecuadorian national who was previously arrested for assaulting a police officer, DHS said.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who have been vocal against ICE operations, of “failing to protect the people of Minnesota.”
“They let these monsters and child predators roam free,” McLaughlin said. “Thanks to our brave law enforcement, Minnesota is safer with these thugs off their streets.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Walz and Frey for comments and did not receive a response by publication time.
The arrests come as immigration enforcement officers continue to face a surge in attacks nationwide.
On Dec. 12, DHS said an ICE officer was attacked by a criminal illegal immigrant in Tullos, Louisiana, who “savagely bit the officer’s hand while resisting arrest.”
The bite broke through the skin and drew blood, the agency said, while calling on politicians in sanctuary jurisdictions and media to stop calling for resistance against ICE enforcement.
“DHS law enforcement is facing a 1,150 percent increase in assaults against them and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats. This is the reality of what our ICE officers are facing every day as they go to work to simply do their job and enforce the law,” McLaughlin said.
“Many of these assaults, including biting and vehicle rammings, are happening as a direct result of sanctuary politicians encouraging illegal aliens to evade arrest.”
There has been pushback from officials in Minneapolis and Minnesota over the federal government’s enforcement operations.
In Minneapolis, the City Council unanimously approved a stronger version of its “sanctuary city” ordinance on Dec. 11 amid the federal government’s illegal immigration crackdown.
Updates to the “separation ordinance,” which bans local police from assisting federal immigration-enforcement efforts and has been in effect for 22 years, were passed by the council, 13-0. There are no Republicans on the council.
During the meeting, Councilmember Jason Chavez, whose parents came from Mexico, said, “Our undocumented immigrants as a whole are being arrested, detained, deported, and not being able to come home.”
Chavez vowed to “continue to resist this Trump administration.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Walz wrote a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Dec. 11, saying he has serious concerns about ICE operations allegedly resulting in “multiple arrests of United States citizens” in Minneapolis.
“The forcefulness, lack of communication, and unlawful practices displayed by your agents will not be tolerated in Minnesota,” he wrote.
DHS criticized the letter in a Dec. 12 X post, highlighting that there is a “growing and disturbing trend” of agitators and rioters obstructing law enforcement during the arrest of illegal immigrants.
The department highlighted the surge in attacks against officers and warned that obstructing law enforcement is not a protest but a crime.
“Secretary Noem has been clear: if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DHS said.
“Instead of trying to spread misinformation, @GovTimWalz should focus on protecting American lives and thanking the brave men and women of DHS law enforcement who are risking their lives to make communities in his state safer.”
