The Trump administration says it is ending its massive immigration crackdown in Minnesota after weeks of angry mass protests, thousands of arrests and two fatal shootings. Border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that the operation has been a success and that it has made the state safer. The sweep targeting the Minneapolis–St. Paul area has led to more than 4,000 arrests. Critics say officers swept up people with no criminal records, including children and U.S. citizens. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz says he's not ready to express gratitude for the end and that Washington must help with the recovery. Lawmakers continue to fight over Department of Homeland Security funding and Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms.
A senior U.S. Border Patrol commander and some agents are expected to leave Minneapolis as early as Tuesday. That's according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino has been at the center of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement surge in cities nationwide. His departure comes as President Donald Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to take charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. The person familiar with the matter was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the operation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
By GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO and SARAH RAZA Associated Press
Police arrested anti-immigration enforcement demonstrators at Minnesota's largest airport after they overstepped their permit, officials said, as Arctic temperatures seized the state and others protesting the Trump administration's crackdown urged people to stay away from work, school and shops. One of the faith groups organizing the protest said Friday "roughly 100 clergy" were arrested. Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Jeff Lea said the protesters were arrested outside the main terminal of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport when they went beyond what their permit for demonstrating stipulated and began affecting airline operations. Meanwhile, groups are asking Minnesotans to stay home in protest at immigration enforcement operations in the state
By MARK VANCLEAVE and TIM SULLIVAN Associated Press
Updated
Days of demonstrations against immigration agents and a new lawsuit have left Minnesota tense. Federal officers sprayed eye irritant and dropped tear gas at a swarm of activists Tuesday in Minneapolis. Students, meanwhile, walked out of a suburban school, part of the ongoing tension over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement sweeps. Minnesota and its two largest cities are suing the government to try to halt or limit the enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of a woman last week in Minneapolis.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris' pick as her running mate, will need to introduce himself to the vast majority of Americans, according to recent polling. But while Walz is a virtual unknown, AP VoteCast data from his gubernatorial win in 2022 shows that he won with key demographics that Harris will hope to capture in the Midwest and outperformed Democrats nationally among white voters without a college degree. His biography as a military veteran and former high school teacher — two broadly trusted professions — may also help him appeal to voters.
By MARGERY A. BECK, HANNAH FINGERHUT and JOHN HANNA Associated Press
Flooding in the Midwestern U.S. has collapsed a railroad bridge and is testing a dam after days of heavy rains that have forced hundreds of people to evacuate or be rescued. The flooding brought additional misery to parts of Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota as temperatures approached 100 degrees Monday. More rain is forecast, and many streams may not crest until later this week as the floodwaters slowly drain. Governors of the affected states say the flooding has damaged roads and bridges, shuttered or destroyed businesses, required hospitals and nursing homes to evacuate, and left cities without power or drinking water.
