Tom Homan, President Trump’s White House border czar, defended *Operation Metro Surge* during a press conference on February 12, 2026, pushing back on accusations that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested people inside “sensitive locations” such as hospitals, elementary schools, or churches during the enforcement initiative in Minnesota. Authorities confirmed that no such arrests occurred in those specific environments during the surge, but Homan made clear that such spaces are not categorically off‑limits if public safety threats emerge. 

The announcement coincided with the drawdown and imminent end of the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis‑St. Paul, which brought thousands of ICE and Border Patrol personnel into the state. Homan highlighted that more than 4,000 individuals have been arrested during the operation and underscored cooperation with local law enforcement as a factor in reducing the need for a peak federal presence. 

Addressing “unfounded complaints” about enforcement tactics, Homan reiterated that ICE had not made arrests inside hospitals, schools, or churches, asserting that widely circulated claims lacked verified evidence. He noted that in the rare instance related to a church service, nine individuals were detained for disruptive conduct — including actions that impeded law enforcement — but not because they were targeted solely for immigration enforcement inside the sanctuary space. 

However, Homan stressed that “those locations are not off the table” in cases involving significant public safety or national security threats, reflecting policy changes under the current administration that narrow but do not entirely prohibit enforcement in previously protected environments. Critics have argued that any incursion near schools or hospitals creates fear and undermines community trust, while Homan characterized such concerns as mischaracterizations of ICE’s conduct during the surge. :

The broader context of *Operation Metro Surge* includes widespread controversy, protests, and legal challenges, particularly after two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents earlier in the campaign. Local officials and civil rights advocates have called for greater oversight and condemned aspects of the operation, while the Trump administration has emphasized its focus on removing individuals who pose criminal or public safety risks. 

As federal personnel are drawn down and the operation concludes, Homan indicated that immigration enforcement will continue nationwide with a focus on serious threats, but he maintained that respecting community safety and lawful conduct remains central to ICE’s mission.