Federal Pullback: 700 ICE Agents On Move in Minneapolis After Vance Visit

Federal immigration authorities have begun scaling back their presence in Minneapolis weeks after Vice President JD Vance visited the city and publicly criticized statewide officials for their supposed lack of cooperation with immigration enforcement.

The latest withdrawal of about 700 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents comes roughly two weeks after Vance’s Jan. 22 visit, when he met with law enforcement officials and defended ICE operations as federal personnel funneled into the Twin Cities.

The deployment triggered widespread protests, legal challenges and civil rights claims following the killings of two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti—the latter a Minneapolis Department of Veterans Affairs nurse. It has raised broader questions about the use of force during enforcement actions. The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled the fatal shooting a homicide.

“As is customary when high-level dignitaries visit Minnesota, we worked to help with the vice president’s motorcade and with other security aspects—including coordination with the Secret Service,” Howie Padilla, spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, told Military.com. “We will not speak about specific security issues or aspects.”

One day after Pretti was killed, Vance said on social media that "state and local officials [who] refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement," claiming, "They have created the chaos so they can have moments like yesterday, where someone tragically dies and politicians get to grandstand about the evils of enforcing the border."

The vice president, when asked by a Daily Mail journalist whether he would apologize to Pretti's family for his statements regarding purported "ill intent" to harm ICE, Vance rejected the notion and asked, "For what?"

Military.com reached out for comment to the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, CBP and the Department of Justice.

Federal Pullback Follows Protests, Mounting Pressure

Senior Department of Homeland Security officials said in public statements that the 700-agent reduction reflects an operational adjustment rather than a full withdrawal. The move marks the first visible pullback since federal agencies expanded their footprint across Minneapolis and surrounding communities.

Federal immigration enforcement in the city drew national attention after Vance accused Minnesota officials of refusing to cooperate with federal agents, warning that threats against officers would be prosecuted.

His remarks came amid heightened tensions following the two fatal shootings, which began with viral video of the altercation that led to Good's death.

Good’s death intensified scrutiny of federal enforcement tactics and added momentum to legal and civil liberties challenges raised by advocacy groups in Minnesota.

Demonstrations spread across Minneapolis and nearby communities as pressure mounted on federal authorities. Border czar Tom Homan later announced that about 700 ICE and CBP officers would be withdrawn from the area, even as roughly 2,000 federal personnel remain deployed as part of ongoing enforcement efforts.

Authorities have also charged a Minneapolis man accused of threatening and cyberstalking ICE officers amid the unrest, underscoring the volatile environment surrounding the operations.

State Officials on Vance Visit

Minnesota officials told Military.com their involvement during the vice president’s visit was limited to routine security coordination rather than operational support for federal immigration enforcement.

State leaders and the governor’s office have pushed back against federal claims that Minnesota authorities failed to cooperate with ICE. Officials said custody transfers and jail notifications to federal authorities continue under existing law, while state and local law enforcement agencies do not take direction from federal immigration officials.

Local leaders have also pointed to legal challenges filed by the state and cities, arguing that the large-scale deployment of federal agents disrupted civic life and violated constitutional protections.

Those legal challenges include a lawsuit filed by Minnesota that seeks to limit the scope of the federal surge and questions the legality of the deployment under federal and state law.

Civil Liberties Concerns Mount

Civil liberties groups have sharply criticized the scale and visibility of the federal enforcement surge, warning that it has eroded trust in immigrant communities and raised constitutional concerns.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Minnesota condemned federal agents’ conduct following the fatal shooting in South Minneapolis, calling for an immediate end to the deployment and an independent investigation.

“This tragedy is further proof that these federal agents are out of control and critically endangering our communities,” said Deepinder Mayell, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota, in a Jan. 24 statement.

Advocates have pressed for clearer rules governing federal immigration operations, stronger oversight and accountability for the use of force.

Demonstrations have continued across the Twin Cities as residents and civil rights groups call for investigations into federal conduct and greater transparency around enforcement tactics.

Federal Enforcement Continues

Federal officials have said ICE and CBP operations will continue in Minnesota despite the reduction in personnel, with agents remaining active in Minneapolis and surrounding communities.

DHS officials have described the drawdown as a tactical shift rather than a policy decision, signaling that federal enforcement priorities remain unchanged.

Homan has said publicly since the Jan. 22 Vance visit that federal authorities will continue immigration enforcement regardless of local opposition. He has argued that state and local officials do not have authority to block federal operations and warned that interference with agents or threats against officers will result in criminal prosecution.

President Donald Trump has echoed that message in public remarks and social media posts since the Minneapolis visit, backing aggressive immigration enforcement and criticizing Democratic-controlled states and cities he claims undermine federal law.

Trump has pledged continued federal action in jurisdictions that resist cooperation, though he has also suggested in separate remarks—such as during a new interview with NBC News—that some enforcement actions could have used a "soft touch."

Administration officials have signaled that federal agencies are reassessing their posture in Minneapolis while maintaining an enforcement presence. The White House has not provided a detailed public explanation of how immigration operations in the Twin Cities will evolve in the coming weeks.