On Friday, legal observers in Minneapolis who were on an encrypted group call heard a frantic plea: a woman begging “Please help” as she was boxed in after federal agents had loaded her friend into an unmarked vehicle. Her screams stopped, and when support arrived the woman had vanished, leaving only an empty, running SUV on the snow‑lined street. It was the fourth disappearance that day and the third within thirty minutes, a phenomenon local activists call “abductions.”
The observers, who call themselves “commuters,” have organized to monitor and resist “Operation Metro Surge,” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol campaign that the Department of Homeland Security has described as the largest immigration enforcement operation in history.
“She was so scared. The terror in her voice was really, really horrible.”
Three days earlier, Trump administration border czar Tom Homan announced a drawdown of 700 federal officers and agents and took over the operation from Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, whose tenure saw three shootings in three weeks, including the killings of U.S. Citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Homan pledged a more “targeted” approach, sparking speculation that civil‑rights abuses documented under Bovino might conclude. On the ground, commuters report a different reality.
Defrost MN, a community group that crowdsources data on federal immigration activity, warned of an “uptick in abductions” of both immigrant community members and legal observers after Homan’s takeover, noting that agents continue to draw weapons and deploy chemical agents despite orders to the contrary. On the night of Homan’s address, 66 shackled passengers were loaded onto a plane – the highest number in nearly two weeks – according to evidence collected at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport.
In the Twin Cities, tens of thousands of immigrant families now rely on churches and mutual‑aid networks for food and finances. Local schools have reverted to Covid‑era online measures for students too frightened to attend in person, and volunteers in fluorescent vests patrol campuses to deter agents from targeting parent‑pick‑up sites. Conservative estimates suggest emergency‑room and clinic visits are down 25 percent, while city leaders report businesses losing upwards of $20 million a week. Immigrant‑owned enterprises have suffered revenue losses of 80‑100 percent, with many shuttering permanently.
Commuters focus on documenting and alerting. They patrol by foot, bike or car, logging suspicious vehicles and cross‑referencing license plates with a crowdsourced database of known or suspected Department of Homeland Security vehicles. When a match is confirmed, they follow the convoy, honking horns and blowing whistles. Federal agents often attempt to lose the tail, sometimes pulling ahead of a commuter or retreating to headquarters if pursued.
Legal experts note that recording law‑enforcement activity is protected by the Constitution, a safeguard that gains urgency as the administration expands immigration authority. The administration, however, characterizes Minnesota as “infested with agitators” impeding law enforcement.
Despite the announced drawdown, roughly 2,000 officers and agents remain on the ground – about 13 times the agencies’ normal footprint and outnumbering the Minneapolis Police Department three to one. Homan said a full ICE withdrawal depends on the public’s acquiescence to “mass deportations” and an end to “illegal and threatening activities” against ICE. He reported 158 arrests for interfering with federal law enforcement in the past month, 85 of which have been accepted for prosecution. Detainees are typically held for around eight hours at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, a historic site that once housed a government‑run concentration camp during the 1862 U.S.–Dakota War.
During a recent encounter, a deportation officer told commuter Kaegan Recher that agents have been ordered to give commuters only one warning before taking them into custody: “You just got one warning, that’s it.” Recher later said he is hearing “more and more about abductions of observers,” even as he notes a reduction in agents’ immediate use of drawn guns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the term “abductions” refer to in this context?
Commuters use “abductions” to describe the arrests of both undocumented immigrants and legal observers who are monitoring federal immigration operations.
How many federal officers and agents remain in Minnesota after the announced drawdown?
About 2,000 officers and agents are still on the ground, which is roughly 13 times the agencies’ normal footprint and outnumbers the Minneapolis Police Department three to one.
What did Tom Homan announce regarding federal personnel in Minnesota?
Homan announced a “drawdown” of 700 federal officers and agents and pledged a more “targeted” approach to immigration enforcement in the state.
How do you think these developments will shape the next steps for both the federal operation and the local resistance?
