On Friday morning, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt stood before reporters and expressed relief that “Operation Metro Surge” was coming to an end.
She spoke about rebuilding trust and emphasized that her office does not conduct civil immigration enforcement, adding that “nothing has changed” in the county’s policies.
The speech was among the most inflammatory anti-ICE remarks she could have delivered. Operation Metro Surge was a federal enforcement effort launched under the direction of the Trump administration’s border team, including Border Czar Tom Homan, in response to escalating tensions and public safety concerns in Minneapolis and surrounding areas.
The purpose was straightforward: enforce existing federal immigration law and prevent further instability. When violence threatens to spiral out of control, federal authorities have both the power and the obligation to intervene.
Instead of acknowledging that reality, Sheriff Witt framed the operation primarily as a political burden placed on her office. She spoke at length about strained relationships and eroding trust, suggesting that local law enforcement had been forced into difficult positions by federal action.
What she did not do was thank federal officers for stepping in during a volatile moment. She did not acknowledge that ICE enforces statutes written by Congress. She did not recognize that immigration enforcement is a lawful function of the executive branch, not an optional courtesy.
Minnesota has spent the past several years confronting overlapping crises of disorder and fraud. The Feeding Our Future scandal alone involved what federal prosecutors described as a $250 million scheme to exploit taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs.
Additional investigations into Medicaid and autism services fraud revealed systemic vulnerabilities that drained public funds of well over $8 billion and embarrassed state leadership.
These were large-scale criminal operations that flourished under the watch of state and local authorities.
Public safety is not limited to street patrols. It includes institutional competence and, above all, requires proactive enforcement and coordination across agencies.
Yet at the very moment federal officers increased their presence to deter violence and enforce immigration law, the sheriff’s message signaled distance, not partnership.
Hellbound and Down 