Democrats think they defeated ICE in Minneapolis.
They've got another thing coming.
And Laura Ingraham got one promise from Tom Homan that was bad news for Democrats.
The Surge That Worked Exactly As Designed
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz spent months telling anyone who'd listen they were standing up to Trump's deportation machine.
They filed lawsuits and released 470 criminal illegal aliens back onto Minnesota streets rather than hand them over to ICE.
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the Minneapolis surge operation had ended – and Democrats started celebrating like they'd won.
Homan joined Laura Ingraham to explain what really just happened.
"This is like any other surge operation. L.A., it ended. Charlotte, it ended. New Orleans, it ended," Homan told Ingraham. "This is ending the surge, but we're not going away."
The surge ended because it accomplished exactly what Trump designed it to accomplish.
The Pattern Democrats Keep Missing
Los Angeles got hit in June 2025 – weeks of protests, thousands of arrests, then federal agents moved on.
Chicago's Operation Midway Blitz ran September through November – 4,500 arrests, lawsuits, then ICE drew down.
Charlotte netted 700 arrests before agents shifted to New Orleans.
Operation Catahoula Crunch targeted 5,000 arrests before agents headed to Minneapolis.
Democrats celebrating these "victories" keep missing the obvious: Every single one of those cities is now cooperating with ICE at levels they never did before.
The surges don't fail when they end.
They succeed.
"Over 800 flights a day land in St. Paul, Minnesota," Homan told Ingraham. "If we need to come back, we'll come back."
What Democrats Won't Admit About Minnesota
After weeks of Frey and Walz grandstanding for cameras, something changed behind the scenes.
Minnesota counties started cooperating at "unprecedented" levels.
"We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens BEFORE they hit the streets," Homan said.
The jails folded.
Minnesota facilities quietly started handing criminal illegal aliens over to ICE instead of releasing them back into neighborhoods.
That's Democrats surrendering while pretending they didn't.
Trump got what he came for – cooperation from the facilities holding the criminals Biden let walk free.
The Criminal Democrats Protected
"They care more about politics than the safety and security of this nation," Homan told Ingraham.
ICE arrested 4,000 people during Operation Metro Surge – including gang members, rapists, and kidnappers.
One of those 470 criminal illegal aliens Minnesota released was German Llangari Inga – an Ecuadorian who killed Minnesota mom Victoria Harwell in August 2024 while driving drunk with blood alcohol twice the legal limit.
ICE placed a detainer.
Hennepin County released him anyway.
He got arrested again in May 2025 for vehicular homicide.
ICE placed another detainer.
Hennepin County released him again.
ICE finally tracked him down and deported him – but only after Frey and Walz's sanctuary policies gave a drunk-driving killer two chances to disappear.
Why Sanctuary Cities Always Fold
Trump and Homan understand what Democrats won't admit: local law enforcement has always been the key to deportation.
Traditionally, 70-75% of all ICE arrests come from jail and prison transfers.
It's safe, efficient, and keeps agents off the streets.
But sanctuary cities like Minneapolis refuse to cooperate.
So Trump sends surge teams that arrest people in communities, at courthouses, during immigration check-ins.
It's more expensive, more visible, and drives Democrats insane.
That's the point.
"Sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don't want, more agents in the communities," Homan said. "Because they won't let one agent arrest one bad guy in a jail."
The surges create political pressure until local officials cave – not publicly, but quietly, where jails start cooperating to make the federal presence go away.
In Mississippi, where state law requires ICE cooperation, 87% of detainer requests result in jail transfers.
In New York, where sanctuary policies block cooperation, only 4%.
That's why Trump hit blue cities with surge operations while red states operate normally.
Minneapolis just learned what every other sanctuary city discovered: resisting Trump costs more politically than cooperating quietly.
What Comes Next
Homan didn't mince words about Trump's deportation program moving forward.
"Let me be clear. Mass deportations will continue," he said. "We're not going back. President Trump promised mass deportation. That's exactly what the American people are gonna get."
Congressional Democrats think they can block funding and stop deportations.
Trump already secured $85 billion for ICE through the Big Beautiful Bill.
"ICE has all the money they want to keep doing the job," Homan told Ingraham. "Of course, the men and women long term won't be getting paid, but will continue to do operations. They'll continue taking people off the street."
Democrats are willing to shut down the Coast Guard stopping drug shipments, TSA keeping airports safe, and Secret Service protecting government officials – all to protect criminals who entered the country illegally.
Then Homan delivered the line that has every sanctuary city mayor and every illegal alien in America on notice.
"We're gonna enforce immigration law," he said. "If you're in this country illegally, we're coming for you."
Democrats thought ending the Minneapolis surge meant they'd won.
While they were celebrating, Minnesota jails were quietly handing criminals over to ICE for deportation flights.
The surge ended because it worked – not because Democrats stopped it.
Trump's deportation machine isn't slowing down.
It's picking up speed.
Sources:
- Willa Pope Robbins, "'We're Coming for You': Tom Homan Issues Warning on Heels of Minnesota Pullout," Mediaite, February 12, 2026.
- "How ICE Operations Are Changing Across US," Newsweek, February 7, 2026.
- "Mayor Frey's Sanctuary Policies Release Criminal Illegal Aliens From Jails Back onto Minneapolis Streets," U.S. Department of Homeland Security, January 14, 2026.
- "New Milestone in Operation Metro Surge: 4,000+ Criminal Illegals Removed from Minnesota Streets," The White House, February 5, 2026.
- "Trump border czar Tom Homan ends Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota," Fox News, February 12, 2026.
- Priscilla Alvarez, "ICE follows starkly different playbooks in how it's arresting immigrants in red and blue states," CNN, August 5, 2025.
- Ronald Brownstein, "Analysis: Cooperation with ICE is the latest red vs. blue state divide," CNN, February 8, 2026.