The Trump administration has begun deploying upwards of 2,000 federal agents to the Twin Cities as part of a 30-day surge that seeks to escalate a federal immigration crackdown and growing fraud investigations, according to law enforcement sources cited by CBS News.
CBS said the deployment will involve agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation branch, as well as Homeland Security Investigations, the agency’s investigative arm tasked with fighting transnational crimes. The law enforcement sources were unnamed in the report, according to CBS News, because they requested anonymity to discuss operations that have not been publicly announced.
Agents deployed from Homeland Security Investigations are expected to investigate alleged cases of housing, daycare and Medicaid fraud, building on last month’s inspection of dozens of sites in and around Minneapolis, according to CBS News, which said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino will help lead immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities alongside an unknown number of U.S. Border Patrol officers. Bovino has overseen immigration roundups in Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles and New Orleans.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel already had announced an increase in operations in Minnesota. Last week Noem posted on social media that officers were “conducting a massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud.” Patel said the intent was to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”
The new Twin Cities deployment would represent one of the largest concentrations of DHS personnel in an American city in recent years. Tactical units known as Special Response Teams are also expected to be part of the operation, which could grow larger as officers rotate through over the next 30 days.
The new surge, said CBS, comes amid intense state and federal scrutiny of Minnesota following years of high-profile fraud cases involving federally funded programs. They have included some of the largest pandemic-era and post-pandemic fraud schemes in the country, like the Feeding Our Future case, which led to dozens of indictments and convictions.
The deployment, which began Sunday, will make the Twin Cities the first major immigration enforcement target in the New Year. It’s been met with growing resistance from protesters, elected officials and some business owners.
Hotel rooms canceled, observers gathering
On Monday, under the title “No Room at the Inn!,” the Department of Homeland Security shared at least four social media posts on X claiming that a Hilton hotel had canceled reservations for officers who had attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates. Citing a statement issued to Fox News, DHS later posted that Hilton had apologized for the cancellations, noting “Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all. This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values. We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel, and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement, and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone.”
In St. Paul, some bars and restaurants have posted signs saying, “Federal Agents Not Permitted on Premises. ICE, DEA, ATF or any other agent or agency may not enter or park or stage immigration operations on this property.”
Elsewhere, groups of “constitutional observers” have sought to document ICE actions.
A sign on a St. Paul bar on Jan. 5, 2026 indicates that federal immigration agents are not welcome on the premises. CBS News reported the Trump administration had begun a 30-day surge, deploying 2,000 federal immigration, Border Patrol and investigative agents in the Twin Cities. (Frederick Melo / Pioneer Press)
State Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega, DFL-St. Paul, circulated video on Monday of ICE agents conducting a Jan. 3 operation on the city’s West Side. Perez-Vega said constitutional observers were gathered in the parking lot of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Concord Street, where they positioned themselves “to ensure community members in the area were informed of their rights. … Despite observers maintaining a clear and safe distance, one observer was pepper-sprayed by an agent. … The use of force appeared unnecessary given the non-confrontational and lawful behavior of those present.”
West Side organizations including Neighborhood House, the West Side Boosters, the West Side Community Organization, the Immigrant Defense Network and the office of St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker are hosting a constitutional observer training next week at the Wellstone Center.
Some officials have promised legal resistance. Speaking at her swearing-in ceremony last Friday, new St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her said she was ready to work with the St. Paul City Council on ordinances intended to oppose aggressive sweeps by ICE.
“From cutting funding to our city or targeting our neighbors, we are facing an unprecedented incursion that we must meet head on,” said Her, who said she plans to ban ICE from staging in the city’s parks and public spaces, and from wearing complete mask coverings that obscure identity.
“One thing we know about this administration is that they won’t play by the rules, but it is important we stand up for our neighbors and set those rules first,” the mayor said. “Let’s not forget who is the aggressor here, who is the one tearing families apart. … I am determined not to allow this federal administration to turn us against each other.”
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