This story includes live updates from Jan. 21, 2026 about the surge of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota. For the latest news on ICE in Minnesota, visit our collection of stories here.
The latest:
Vice President JD Vance is expected to travel to Minneapolis. It’s not yet clear exactly when Vance will be in Minnesota on Thursday, or who he plans to meet with.
Immigration enforcement official Gregory Bovino blamed “anarchists” in collusion with Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for the violence that’s gripped the Twin Cities during the federal immigration surge.
The offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her confirmed they received a subpoena from the Department of Justice Tuesday.
4:50 PM Wednesday | Trump slams Minnesota at global forum in Switzerland
President Donald Trump railed against Minnesota in front of a global audience Wednesday over local resistance to his ongoing deportation campaign.
Trump spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for more than an hour. He touched on a range of topics, including clashes in Minnesota between federal agents and protesters over a prolonged immigration crackdown.
“And then ICE gets beat up by stupid people, by leadership in Minnesota,” Trump said. “We are actually helping Minnesota so much, but they don’t appreciate it. Most places do.”
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a special address during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026.
Fabrice Coffrini | AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration has released only limited information about the thousands of immigrants arrested over nearly two months. The president and federal officials tout removal of those with violent criminal records, but people without past offenses have also been detained for lacking proper status.
Later, Trump told the audience that Minnesota is an example of a place where embrace of foreign cultures has weakened America. Minnesota is home to the nation’s largest population of people of Somali descent, which has in itself attracted caustic words from the president.
“The situation in Minnesota reminds us that the west cannot mass import foreign cultures which have never built a successful society of their own. We’re taking people from Somalia. And Somalia is a failed, it’s not a nation. Got no government. Got no police. Got no military. Got nothing.”
— Brian Bakst, MPR News
4:19 PM Wednesday | Former chief White House ethics lawyer for George W. Bush calls subpoenas ‘political theater’
University of Minnesota law professor Richard W. Painter called the U.S. Department of Justice’s subpoenas issued Tuesday to Democratic leaders in the state are a dangerous escalation on Wednesday.
“The Trump administration has decided to use the justice department as a weapon against their political enemies,” Painter said.
Leaders in Minnesota have strongly criticized the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs agents in the streets. Tuesday’s subpoena’s claimed that many of Minnesota leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are “impeding immigration enforcement efforts.”
Painter said he sees no evidence of that.
“What I see here is strong opposition to federal actions,” he said. “Our elected leaders have the First Amendment right to express their views without being subjected to criminal investigations by the justice department.”
Painter added that he openly criticized Walz for fraud within the state and advocated for Walz to drop his third-term run for office. But he said this recent wave of federal actions is far outside the scope of the U.S. government.
“We have serious issues to address in this state, but these are issues to be addressed by the people, the state of Minnesota. Not for excessive use of force by federal law enforcement,” Painter said.
— Morning Edition, MPR News
1:30 PM Wednesday | Vice President JD Vance planning visit to Minneapolis on Thursday
Vice President JD Vance is expected to travel to Minneapolis on Thursday for a roundtable meeting.
That’s according to the Associated Press and other media outlets, citing sources with knowledge of the vice president’s plans. It’s not yet clear exactly when Vance will be in Minnesota on Thursday, or who he plans to meet with.
The vice president was previously in Minneapolis in September in the wake of the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church. He and second lady Usha Vance visited the memorial outside the church, and had private meetings with families affected by the shooting.
— MPR News staff
9:32 PM Tuesday | Bovino defends immigration surge tactics, deflects questions of abuse, blames local political leaders, ‘anarchists’
One of the country’s highest profile immigration enforcement officials on Tuesday blamed “anarchists” in collusion with Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for the violence that’s gripped the Twin Cities during the federal immigration surge the past six weeks.
At the same time, Gregory Bovino deflected questions around the growing concerns of local police that some federal agents are unlawfully stopping people without cause, sweeping up legal residents and violating their civil rights.
U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino departs following a news conference Tuesday in Minneapolis.
Angelina Katsanis via AP
“What we do is legal, ethical and moral, well grounded in law,” Bovino told reporters. Agents, he added, have been professional and courteous despite attacks against them and are focused only on “individuals who pose a serious threat to this community.”
His comments stood in stark contrast to the daily reports of citizens and other people legally in the country being detained and intimidated, tactics that some in local enforcement have criticized as irresponsible.
Bovino, whose titles include commander at large for U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement, said federal agents had arrested more than 10,000 “criminal illegal aliens” in Minnesota over the past year, including 3,000 in the past six weeks. He described his agents as “troops.”
— MPR News staff
8:06 PM Tuesday | DOJ subpoenas top Minnesota leaders for ‘impeding immigration enforcement efforts’
The offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her confirmed they received a subpoena from the Department of Justice Tuesday afternoon.
According to a copy of the subpoena shared with MPR News, the Justice Department ordered Frey’s office to bring a variety of documents related to his office’s handling of immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis to a hearing scheduled for the morning of Feb. 3.
In a statement, Frey said the federal government was weaponizing its power to “try to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs.”
“I am unfazed by these tactics,” said St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her. “I stand firm in my commitment to protect our residents, neighbors and community.”
— Ellie Roth, MPR News