Kristi Noem vows ‘hundreds more’ ICE agents to Minnesota, calls state ‘ground zero’ for criminals
🚨 This is how it escalates.
— nightdesk (@nightdesk007) January 11, 2026
Days after an ICE agent's fatal shooting in Minneapolis sparked huge protests, the Trump administration is sending hundreds more federal agents into the city; arriving today and tomorrow, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
Not to calm… pic.twitter.com/RlXRynpLp7
WASHINGTON, DC: The situation in Minnesota has dominated headlines, and many experts expect tensions to remain high in the coming days. In the midst of large protests and rallies, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that “hundreds more” ICE agents will be sent 'today and tomorrow.'
She made the remarks during a 'Sunday Morning Futures' interview on January 11, saying recent events required more agents. Earlier this week, Minneapolis was shaken by the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer, triggering public outrage.
Noem described the shooting as tragic but has insisted that additional agents are necessary to support ICE activities in the aftermath.
Kristi Noem announces deployment of additional ICE Agents to Minnesota
Kristi Noem’s statement follows an earlier move by the Department of Homeland Security. Earlier this month, the agency deployed about 2,100 ICE agents and other DHS personnel to Minnesota to support enforcement operations as part of its largest immigration operation in the region.
Speaking with FOX News' Maria Bartiromo, Noem said, “We’re sending more officers today and tomorrow. They’ll arrive, there’ll be hundreds more in order to allow our ICE and our Border Patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely.”
She added that if protesters interfere with federal operations, they would face consequences: “If (protesters) conduct violent activities against law enforcement, if they impede our operations, that’s a crime, and we will hold them accountable to those consequences.”
The DHS secretary criticized local leaders, saying she believes city and state officials have failed to cooperate with federal agents. She pointed to remarks by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who told ICE to “Get the f**k out” of Minneapolis and dismissed claims the deadly shooting was justified, calling them “bulls**t.”
Noem also accused both Frey and Governor Tim Walz of prioritizing “criminals and illegal aliens” over the safety of citizens. When asked why she was taking such a forceful approach, she replied that the state has become “Ground zero for stealing taxpayer dollars and protecting criminals.”
Federal enforcement presence grows as ICE expands operations in Minnesota
NEW: Roughly 2k ICE ERO officers and HSI agents are surging to Minnesota in response to both fraud and immigration issues—Confirmed via DHS sources.
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) January 5, 2026
Border Patrol assets who have worked under @CMDROpAtLargeCA are also heading there this week, I am told.
H/t: ICE deployment…
About 2,000 federal agents were deployed to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. The move marked a major escalation in federal immigration enforcement across Minnesota. Officials said the operation was tied to broader immigration and fraud investigations.
The large-scale deployment significantly increased the federal law enforcement presence in the state. It also came at a time of rising political tension and public backlash. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, speaking in an interview, described the effort as the agency’s “largest immigration operation ever.” He said the scale of the operation reflects the federal government’s growing focus on immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
