(The Hill) — The Trump administration is expected to send an additional 200 Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents to Minnesota amid unrest, sources tell NewsNation.
This news follows reporting from The Associated Press that federal immigration officers originally deployed to Louisiana will be sent to assist in the Minneapolis operation. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was initially expected to send around 2,000 immigration agents to the state.
The operation, which DHS said would be its “largest ever,” comes amid the administration’s probe into welfare fraud in the North Star State — with 85 of the defendants being of Somali descent. Federal prosecutors estimate that billions of dollars were potentially lost in this scheme.
The presence of immigration officers in Minnesota has raised tensions to a boiling point after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good in her vehicle on Wednesday.
DHS defended the officer’s actions as self-defense, with department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claiming Macklin Good was attempting to run the officer over with her car in an “act of domestic terrorism.”
“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” McLaughlin posted on the social platform X after the shooting.
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other White House officials have backed up that explanation in recent days.
However, multiple state officials have disputed this account of events, pointing to footage of the incident shared online.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) called DHS’ account “bullsh–.”
“This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed,” Frey said at a Wednesday press conference. He doubled down on the remarks on Thursday, including his request that ICE officials ‘get the f— out‘ of the city.
Protests are continuing to be held in Minnesota and across the country after the shooting. On Wednesday evening, hundreds of people gathered at the site of the fatal interaction in Minneapolis to commemorate the life of Macklin Good.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who announced earlier this week that he would not seek reelection, also authorized the state’s National Guard to be “staged and ready” as demonstrations spring up.
Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Thursday that protesters should not “test our resolve” and avoid “obstructing, impeding, or attacking federal law enforcement.”
In a statement to The Hill, DHS said it could not confirm details about ongoing operations, citing safety concerns.