MINNEAPOLIS, MN Oct 24, 2025 – In a forceful crackdown on sanctuary city policies, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants with serious criminal records during a press conference Friday, flanked by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officials. The operation, conducted in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, targeted individuals accused of violent crimes including homicide, human trafficking, sexual assault, and drug trafficking, underscoring the Trump administration’s renewed focus on immigration enforcement.
Noem, speaking at a podium laden with seized evidence—piles of fentanyl-laced drugs, assault rifles, and handguns—blamed local leaders for exacerbating crime rates. “Under the leadership of Mayor Frey and Governor Walz, more violent crimes are being perpetrated in these communities,” she said, citing a surge in murders, assaults, homicides, robberies, carjackings, and shootings since 2019. “Sanctuary politicians like Mayor Jacob Frey, who are refusing to work with ICE, are allowing criminals like Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz to live in our communities, unchecked.”
The conference featured mugshots of several high-profile arrestees, highlighting the operation’s scope:
– Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz, a Mexican national charged with homicide.
– An unnamed Salvadoran individual accused of human slavery and trafficking.
– Garcia Oliver , from Mexico, wanted for sexual assault.
– Gonzalez Alfez , from El Salvador, facing assault charges.
Noem emphasized that all arrested individuals would face prosecution before deportation. “These people have been arrested and will be brought to justice and deported from our country—never to return,” she declared. Federal agencies, including ICE’s ERO and HSI divisions, collaborated with the Department of Justice to execute the raids, which Noem described as part of a broader mandate to prioritize American safety over “the guise of moral superiority and political correctness.”
Statistics shared during the briefing revealed that 70% of recent ICE arrests nationwide involve illegal immigrants convicted or charged with U.S. crimes, excluding foreign fugitives, gang members, and suspected terrorists. In Minneapolis alone, the operation netted evidence of narcotics distribution and firearms trafficking, with officials displaying over 50 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and more than a dozen weapons.
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions over sanctuary policies in Democratic-led cities. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but Frey has previously defended local non-cooperation with federal immigration authorities as a matter of protecting immigrant communities. Critics, including Noem, argue such stances enable criminal activity.
Under President Trump’s second term, ICE has ramped up operations, invoking measures like the Laken Riley Act to mandate detention for violent offenders. Noem credited the administration’s approach for the arrests, stating, “Our federal officers… will continue to do the work to make sure that these criminals are removed from our communities.”
The press conference, held at an undisclosed DHS facility, drew swift reactions on social media. Supporters praised the move as a victory for public safety, while opponents decried it as fearmongering. As deportation proceedings begin, the operation signals an aggressive phase in the administration’s border security agenda, with more sweeps promised in sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide.
