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Noem says DHS sending 'hundreds more' ICE agents to Minnesota
Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem says hundreds more federal law enforcement officers will be headed to Minnesota on Sunday and Monday following the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Sec. Kristi Noem says hundreds more federal law enforcement officers will be headed to Minnesota on Sunday and Monday following the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis.
More agents headed to MN
What we know:
Speaking on FOX News' "Sunday Morning Futures," Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem said more officers will be on the ground in Minnesota on Sunday and Monday.
"We're sending more officers today and tomorrow," Noem told host Maria Bartiromo. "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. We're going to continue to, if they 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 backstory:
Tensions have been high in the Twin Cities in recent days following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of ICE officer Jonathan Ross. The shooting has sparked protests across the city including outside the regional ICE headquarters at the Whipple Building at Fort Snelling.
Federal head count
What we don't know:
It's not clear exactly how many officers will be coming to the Twin Cities and exactly where this will put the total head count for federal law enforcement in the metro. In December, the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge, bringing more than 100 federal agents into the Twin Cities.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security launched a new 30-day surge, this time bringing a reported force of 1,500 ICE officers and 600 Homeland Security investigators into the state with an aim at tackling fraud. Friday, FOX News reported that Border Patrol was set to add as many as 1,000 of its agents on the ground in Minneapolis as well. It's possible some or all of the hundreds that Noem referenced are the reported Border Patrol agents being deployed.
Dig deeper:
Homeland Security has defended the surge by showing some of the worst offenders that have been arrested in Minnesota. On a website dubbed "Worst of the Worst," federal officials include dozens of profiles with information on the worst offenders arrested by ICE in Minnesota.
Offenses range from murder to sexual abuse against children and the list includes gang members including individuals allegedly associated with the notorious Tren de Aragua.