How many undocumented immigrants have they found in MN since Trump has been in office.

Checked on January 26, 2026
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Executive summary

Federal officials and local outlets report widely differing tallies of immigration arrests in Minnesota since the Trump administration launched a high‑profile enforcement push late in 2025; official DHS spokespeople have cited totals ranging from “more than 2,000” to “over 3,000,” while independent and state actors dispute some of those counts and their characterization [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].

1. What the Department of Homeland Security is claiming

DHS and its spokespeople have repeatedly announced large numbers of arrests in Minnesota tied to “Operation Metro Surge,” telling reporters that agents have made “more than 2,000” arrests in the state [6] [1], that roughly 2,400 people have been detained [2] [5], and, in other briefings, that the operation has resulted in “more than 2,500” or even “over 3,000” arrests since it began in late November or December [4] [3], while DHS releases also highlight a subset they label the “worst of the worst” and publicly listed about 212 convicted individuals in that category [6].

2. Conflicting tallies and timeline problems

The numbers reported by DHS and carried by outlets vary by outlet and date: The New York Times and KARE11 cite about 2,400 arrests since Nov. 29 [2] [5], the Associated Press referenced “more than 2,500” [4], ABC quoted DHS saying “over 3,000” since December [3], and other local reporting repeats “more than 2,000” without a precise cut‑off [1]; these discrepancies reflect shifting operational reporting windows, differing definitions of which detentions are counted, and evolving statements from DHS officials [2] [3].

3. State and independent pushback on DHS numbers

Minnesota officials and some local news investigations dispute DHS characterizations and specific counts: the Minnesota Department of Corrections and other state actors pushed back on DHS claims about how many “criminal illegal aliens” were in state custody, calling some DHS figures “categorically false” and noting that many people cited by DHS were not in state prison but in county jails, ICE custody or in other jurisdictions, complicating verification [7]. Civil‑rights advocates and legal observers also emphasize that DHS’s public lists often lack corroborating court or custody details, limiting independent confirmation [7].

4. The political context and how it shapes the numbers

DHS messaging emphasizes arrests of people it calls violent criminals and the “worst of the worst,” language that aligns with the administration’s political priority to highlight removals [8] [9]. State leaders, local prosecutors and immigrant‑rights groups portray the surge as an aggressive, expanded use of tactics and dispute the necessity and accuracy of some DHS claims, framing the operation as politically driven and legally contested [10] [11] [7].

5. What can confidently be said — and what cannot

Based on available reporting, federal officials report that roughly 2,000–2,500 arrests have been made in Minnesota tied to the late‑2025 enforcement surge, with some DHS statements and outlets citing figures up to “over 3,000”; however, precise totals, the exact timeframe “since President Trump has been in office,” and how many of those arrested are undocumented versus U.S. citizens or how many have been deported are not consistently reported or are disputed by state authorities, so a single definitive count cannot be confirmed from the provided reporting [1] [2] [4] [3] [7].

6. Attribution, verification gaps, and next steps for readers

The chief barriers to a firm answer are inconsistent public statements from DHS across dates and outlets, state corrections and local records that complicate cross‑checking, and the fact that DHS sometimes aggregates different types of detentions and arrests in its totals without publishing underlying datasets; to move from a range to a verifiable figure would require DHS to publish a dated, line‑item ledger of arrests in Minnesota (including citizenship/immigration status and custody outcomes) or for independent reporters to match DHS lists to court and jail records — neither of which is fully available in the cited reports [7] [2].

Want to dive deeper?
What official datasets exist to verify DHS arrest counts in state jurisdictions and how can they be accessed?
How do state and local jails report ICE detainers and custody transfers, and what discrepancies have arisen in Minnesota?
What legal challenges have been filed against 'Operation Metro Surge' and what outcomes have courts produced so far?