Top federal enforcement officials landed in Minneapolis Tuesday with a stark message for local leadership: Get on board or get out of the way.
Greg Bovino, Commander at Large for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the results of “Operation Metro Surge,” a massive federal crackdown that has already netted 3,000 arrests in Minneapolis over the last six weeks alone.
The press conference, held amid heightened tensions between federal agents and local politicians, served as both a victory lap for the operation and a blistering critique of Minnesota’s state and city leadership.
“Public safety in Minneapolis is not negotiable,” Bovino declared, accusing local officials of relying on “heated rhetoric” rather than cooperating with federal law enforcement. He specifically targeted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, claiming their policies have allowed violent criminals to exploit enforcement gaps.
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A “Stack” of Criminals
To drive his point home, Bovino and Marcos Charles, Executive Associate Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, presented photographs of specific individuals arrested during the surge. Among them was Hovi Kumay, a registered sex offender from Laos convicted of offenses against a child, and Samuel Arao Hernandez, a Guatemalan national charged with rape and lewd acts with a minor.
“These individuals were walking the streets of Minneapolis with impunity as of yesterday,” Bovino said, holding up printouts of the arrestees.
According to officials, the operation has resulted in over 10,000 arrests of “illegal aliens” across Minnesota since President Trump took office, with the recent intensification in Minneapolis focusing on “repeat offenders with serious criminal histories” rather than minor violators.
Clash with Local Leadership
The presser highlighted a deep fracture between federal agents and local authorities. Bovino described an environment of “collusion and corruption” where elected officials have allegedly encouraged resistance against federal operations. He claimed that Mayor Frey instructed police to “fight federal agents,” a directive Bovino said raised eyebrows even among the city’s own police ranks.
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“We have arrested some of the most dangerous criminal offenders… right here in this city,” Bovino stated, dismissing complaints about federal tactics as “misplaced” priorities.
When pressed by reporters about complaints from residents and local chiefs regarding civil rights violations and heavy-handed tactics, officials remained unapologetic.
“What we do is legal, ethical, and moral,” Bovino insisted, arguing that the “tactics are born of necessity” due to the organized nature of the criminal groups they are facing.
Border to Interior
Bovino also drew a direct line between the situation in Minneapolis and the southern border. He asserted that border crossings have plummeted to historic lows, with sectors like El Centro reporting only a single apprehension in the last 24 hours. This drop in border traffic, he argued, has freed up agents to conduct these interior operations.
“A secure border without interior enforcement leaves communities vulnerable,” Bovino said.
Marcos Charles added that ICE currently has over 1,360 detainers on individuals in Minnesota jails and urged local leaders to turn these individuals over directly rather than releasing them back into the community.
As the operation continues, the message from the podium was clear: federal agents aren’t going anywhere. “We will continue enforcing the law… and we will continue working to keep Minneapolis safe,” Bovino concluded.
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