“It's All Lies and Propaganda”

Twin Cities resident Corey Magstadt shared the following on Facebook today in response to yesterday's press conference by Tom Holman (left), in which he declared that Operation Metro Surge will end in Minnesota. (For six other responses to this news, see this Wild Reed post from yesterday.)

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Like most of us in Minnesota, I listened to Tom Homan’s press conference yesterday with skepticism. Not just because ICE has been very active in our neighborhood today, but also because there is a funding bill on the table that is being held up due to the increasing unpopularity of ICE enforcement.

After listening to it, I was disgusted. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard someone lie and gaslight with such boldness (and I’ve listened to a lot of Trump’s speeches). My rage response is to argue, so here’s an unnecessarily long breakdown of the press conference and data countering his lies.


CLAIM #1: “Minnesota Is Safer Because of the Surge”

• “The Twin Cities of Minnesota in general are and will continue to be much safer . . . because of what we have accomplished under President Trump’s leadership.”

• “Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals.”

• “We’re leaving Minnesota safer.”

• “This community is safer because we arrested over 4,000 illegal aliens. . . . Many of them public safety threat, not all of them.”

FACT CHECK

• No public data demonstrates a decrease in violent crime that can be attributed to ICE’s surge. In fact, two of the only three homicides in Minneapolis this year were committed by ICE agents.

• Minnesota is not less of a sanctuary state than it was before. The Trump administration often claims victory by winning something it already had (see the Greenland debacle for another example). In this case, Homan claims that now Minnesota is partnering with ICE and letting them take criminal immigrants from jail and prison after they complete their sentences. He was very proud of this because it’s much safer for everyone to deport someone who is already in custody. THEY WERE ALREADY DOING THIS! THIS IS NOT NEW! IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE POLICY! What Minnesota doesn’t do and still won’t do is hand over immigrants who are arrested and accused of crimes but not yet convicted (because Minnesota actually believes that people should have due process).

• They have shown no evidence that they have arrested over 4,000 illegal aliens. And even if that is the number, many are being released as their immigration status didn’t warrant it (ongoing asylum claims, refuge status, etc.). Over 800 habeas corpus lawsuits have been filed since the surge began (compared to 128 in all of 2025) and the vast majority have resulted in the successful release of the prisoner back into the community.

• I can’t fact check this claim, but I GUARANTEE that more crime has been committed by ICE agents than undocumented immigrants in Minnesota over the past two months. The number of car accidents caused by ICE alone is enough to prove this claim to be a lie.

• ICE arrest totals often include: Administrative immigration violations (not showing up for a hearing, missing paperwork, etc.), Pending criminal charges (we’re still innocent until proven guilty in this country), old or nonviolent convictions (small crimes from 30 years ago probably shouldn’t be cause for deportation today).

CLAIM #2: ICE Only Targets Serious Criminals (But Also Promises Mass Deportation)

• “Many criminal aliens have been arrested . . . including murders, sex offenders . . .”

• “Through targeted enforcement operations . . .”

• “We will enforce immigration law against all persons in the United States illegally.”

• “Prioritizing public safety threats . . . doesn’t mean we’ll forget about everybody else. We will take action on everybody else.”

• “President Trump made a promise of mass deportation and that’s what this country is going to get.”

FACT CHECK

• According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, most of the violent “worst of the worst” criminals that ICE has claimed credit for were actually already in custody.

• MPR News has reported on cases involving administrative immigration violations and individuals with minor or old convictions being taken into custody “mass deportation” proposals have been estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars and would require unprecedented detention expansion.

• Our on the ground reporting demonstrates that this is not a targeted approach. As I’ve repeatedly written, if you have brown skin, you are a target and can be arrested anywhere.

CLAIM #3: ICE Did Not Arrest Anyone Inside Hospitals, Schools, or Churches

• “ICE has not arrested anybody inside a hospital.”

• “We have not arrested anybody inside of a school.”

• “We have not arrested anybody inside a church.”

• “It simply has not happened.”

• “Those locations are not off the table.”

FACT CHECK

• This was a very intentionally misleading statement. Has anyone been arrested in hospitals, churches or schools? Not to my knowledge. But parking lots and streets surrounding these sensitive locations have been fair game. Most immigrant churches have stopped meeting in person since ICE is always circling around their parking lots before and after services. Schools around the state have reported daily occurrences of ICE agents knocking on families doors before school, following them to and from school, waiting at bus stops, following buses, and circling around the school parking lots.

• UPDATE: “They have been arresting people inside the hospitals in Rochester and they have arrested people inside a mosque there as well. I heard reports of arrests in HCMC and in mosques up north, but I don’t know anyone close enough to it to confirm. My parents have confirmation of the abductions in Rochester." -- Brenna Zeimet (2/13/26)

CLAIM #4: 3,364 “Missing Unaccompanied Alien Children” Were Located

• “ICE here in this state have located 3,364 missing unaccompanied alien children.”

• “Children that the last administration lost and weren’t even looking for.”

FACT CHECK

• He’s straight up lying. First, ICE isn’t involved in placement and care of unaccompanied minors. That role is played by the Department of Health and Human Services.

• The number 3,364 is given with no evidence and there is simply no way that many children have been picked up by ICE without parents or guardians. Do you think the protesters outside of Whipple every day or the guy watching every plane take off and counting the people who get on wouldn’t have noticed thousands of kids being put onto airplanes and shipped to Texas? It’s completely fabricated.

• In fact, claims of “missing” children actually reflect simply the inability of ICE to contact the child’s sponsors or guardians, not that they are actually missing. So if they actually located that many "missing” children, it just means that they now have cleaned up their database to have contact information for these families that they didn’t previously have.

CLAIM #5: “Most Secure Border in American History” and “Record Arrests and Deportations”

• “Today, we have the most secure border in American history.”

• “Record number of arrest and deportations under President Trump’s first year.”

FACT CHECK

• Deportation totals during the previous Trump administration did not exceed the peak removal numbers recorded during the Obama administration. And Biden’s last year in office had more deportations than Trump did in 2025 (Not that this is a good thing, but it’s just remarkable how much they feel like they have to lie, especially to beat the libs).

• I can’t really speak to the border. It seems that border crossings are down and fentanyl smuggling is also down. But border crossings are mostly down because of the cruelty of this government. Is that really how we want to solve illegal immigration . . . make this country so violent and unsafe that no one wants to come here?

CLAIM #6: “Unprecedented Cooperation” and No Jail Refusals

• “We have obtained an unprecedented level of coordination . . .”

• “I have not met one county jail that says no to us.”

FACT CHECK

• As stated above in #1, this has always been the policy. Minnesota counties generally do not hold individuals beyond their scheduled release time solely on ICE detainers without judicial warrants (as courts have ruled that this violates the 4th amendment). The jail or prison contacts ICE to let them know someone is scheduled to be released. If ICE doesn’t show up to get them, they are released because they have completed their sentence. This has always been and still is the policy. So if “dangerous criminals" are released back into the community IT’S BECAUSE ICE DIDN’T DO ITS JOB TO SHOW UP AND PICK THEM UP!

Beyond the lies, Homan’s tone was unconscionable. He repeatedly praised and blessed ICE officers and never once said anything comforting about the people they terrorize. He defended the use of masks because of “doxing,” but they’re the ones taking pictures of all of the protesters and observers and putting them in their database for who knows what nefarious purpose. He consistently refers to constitutional observers as violent agitators rather than community members who are showing up to care for their neighbors. He casually threatens that his security forces won’t go away as long as people continue to protect their neighbors. He never mentions the devastating economic impact on families and businesses or the emotional impact on children who haven’t been able to go to school.

It’s all lies and propaganda. And until we see otherwise, we continue to keep us safe since no one else is going to do it.

– Corey Magstadt
via Facebook
February 13, 2026

Related Off-site Links:
What Minnesota Really Thinks of the End of Trump’s ICE Surge – Jennifer Bendery (The Huffington Post, February 13, 2026).
What We Can Learn From Minneapolis’ Model of Resistance – Gabriel Furshong (Common Dreams, February 13, 2026).
The Rise of the Rebel Loon Logos – The Nerd of The Rings (February 13, 2026).
‘Time to Speak Up’: In Columbia Heights, School Leaders Stepped in to Protect Families as ICE Surged – Elizabeth Shockman (MPR News, February 13, 2026).
Mayor Jacob Frey Calls on Feds and State to Help Pay ICE Surge Costs in Minneapolis – MPR News (February 13, 2026).
“Border Czar” Tom Homan Says Immigration Operation in Minnesota Will End Soon – Katelyn Vue (Sahan Journal, February 12, 2026).
“Not an Anomaly . . . A Blueprint”: Homan Says Minnesota ICE Surge Ending – But Mass Deportations Aren’t – Jessica Corbett (Common Dreams, February 12, 2026).
Yet Another Case of ICE Agents – and DHS Officials – Lying About Shooting Incident Emerges – Brad Reed (Common Dreams, February 12, 2026).
Charges Dropped Against Men Accused of Attacking ICE Officer – Matt Sepic (MPR News, February 12, 2026).
Twin Cities Health Care Workers Describe “Fear” and “Intimidation” Due to ICE in Hospitals – Erica Zurek (MPR News, February 11, 2026).
The People of Minneapolis Will Simply Not Let the ICE Thugs Prevail – Dan Simmons (The New Republic, February 5, 2026).
Anti-ICE Organizing Is Creating Counter-Institutions Based on Care – Rashida James-Saadiya (Truthout, February 4, 2026).
“Backing Down Isn’t an Option”: Minnesota ICE Shootings Mobilize Americans to Join ICE Observer Groups – Lex McMenamin (The Guardian, January 31, 2026).
Letter From Minnesota: Details From an Occupation – Angela Pelster (Literary Hub, January 29, 2026).
Meet the Minneapolis Parents Patrolling Their Schools Amid ICE Operations – Elizabeth Shockman (MPR News, January 16, 2026).
The Women Holding Minneapolis Together – Anna Moeslein Glamor, January 7, 2026).

UPDATE: White House Official Says Hundreds of Federal Agents Are Leaving Minnesota, “Small” Security Force Will Remain for a Time – The Associated Press and MPR News (February 15, 2026).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts on the resistance to the Trump regime’s fascist occupation of Minnesota:
• Omar Fateh: Quote of the Day – December 4, 2025
• Photo of the Day – December 5, 2025
• Susie Hayward on What’s Happening in Minneapolis
• Doing What We Can to Stop Unjust Arrests of Immigrants
• Great Event, Great Sign, Great Nails
• Christmas Eve Musings
• May We Do Likewise
• “This Is What Fascism Looks Like” – January 7, 2026
• “It Was Murder”: 12 Powerful Responses to the Death of Renée Nicole Good
• Omar Fateh: “Folks Are Waking Up”
• A Good Faith Appeal and a Grim Response
• Why Minnesota?
• Chris Hedges on ICE: “I Have Seen These Masked Goons Before”
• Steven Donziger: “Let’s Get Real . . . ICE Is a Domestic Terrorist Organization”
• Historian Kyle Dekker: “It’s Not Nazi Ideology We Are Fighting. It’s American”
• Knowing Our Rights
• Mike Figueredo on Why Trump Might Be Pushing the U.S. to the Brink of Collapse
• A “Red Alert Moment for American Democracy”
• Dispatches from Occupied Minnesota
• Marianne Williamson on How to Psychologically Endure This Moment
• What Moral Clarity Looks Like in Minnesota This MLK Day
• Nemik’s Eulogy for Renée Nicole Good
• “It Was Never About Keeping America Safe”
• “ICE Out!”: The Minnesota General Strike – 1/23/26
• “This Was a Flat Out Execution”
• “Organized Sustained Systemic Resistance and Self-Defense Are Our Only Options”
• Honoring Alex Pretti
• George Conway: The Trump Administration Is a “Criminal Organization”
• In the Face of Fascist Lies, MN Governor Tim Walz Sets the Record Straight
• Adam Serwer on How “Every Social Theory Undergirding Trumpism Has Been Broken on the Steel of Minnesotan Resolve”
• “Trump Is Scared Shitless”
• “They Were Alive. Then They Were Not”
• Bruce Springsteen and the Streets of Minneapolis in the Winter of ’26
• Craig Mokhiber on the “Imperial Boomerang”: How U.S. War Tactics Abroad Are Now Used at Home
• January Vignettes (2026)
• Honoring Renée Good and the “Astonishing Surge of Courage” of Minneapolis
• A Luminous Celebration of Light, Love and Community
• More Dispatches from Occupied Minnesota
• Memes of the Times – February 2026
• Only the Beginning

Image: White House “border czar” Tom Homan speaks at a press conference at the Whipple Federal Building on Thursday, February 12. Homan announced an end to the Trump regime’s immigration enforcement operation in the state. (Photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)