Now what? Federal immigration agents, at one point numbering 3,000, over triple the amount of police officers in Minneapolis, are reportedly on the way out of Minnesota. Now, state and local leaders are focusing on recovery.
In Minneapolis, where a significant bulk of operations by ICE and Border Patrol took place, and Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by federal agents, Mayor Jacob Frey is now grappling with a city left scarred by these operation. That scarring is emotional, and also economic.
Frey, speaking to WCCO's Chad Hartman Thursday, said some businesses lost $10 to $20 million a week during what was dubbed "Operation Metro Surge" by the Trump Administration. Frey says the community support for them, and everyone else impacted, has been unwavering.
"The good news is it's not just a city, and our residents that are that incredibly strong backbone of support, I believe you're going to have a whole country that is rallying around this extraordinary resilience here in Minneapolis," Frey explained. "And the great comeback that we're going to see in the coming months."
Announcing the drawdown Thursday morning, White House border czar Tom Homan called it a "success," something Frey vehemently disagrees with, saying there's no way these operations made Minneapolis "safer," as Trump administration officials have claimed.
Frey also expressed his appreciation of Minneapolis police officers, who he says worked tirelessly not only doing their normal jobs, but also had to deal with the chaos and fallout caused by an agency that was not equipped, not well trained, and didn't understand constitutional law.
He says they worked an extraordinary amount of overtime the last two months - how much money was spent he said they'd be finding out this Friday.
Frey said those officers were put through the ringer since federal agents descended on the Twin Cities early in December.
"They've also had to deal with the chaos and the fallout caused by an agency in ICE that was not equipped, certainly not well trained, and did not understand constitutional law," Frey explains.
That comeback Frey mentions will come at a price. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced a plan he will bring to the legislative session, which starts on Tuesday, to support businesses. Walz says his proposal should receive immediate bipartisan support, but he's also calling on the federal government to provide financial recovery.
"The federal government needs to be responsible. You don't get to break things and then just leave without doing something about it," Walz added.
The governor's plan includes $10 million in forgivable loans to help businesses impacted economically by the surge of immigration enforcement. His administration will reinstitute the small business emergency fund, which was implemented during the COVID-19 shutdown.
"After one year, there would be an opportunity to seek 50% forgiveness on the basis of proving that you have had substantial impacts from the presence of the federal agents," DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek added.
The Democratic governor called the crackdown an “unnecessary, unwarranted and in many cases unconstitutional assault on our state.”
“It’s going to be a long road,” Walz told a news conference Thursday. “Minnesotans are decent, caring loving neighbors and they’re also some of the toughest people you’ll find. And we’re in this as long as it takes.”