President Donald Trump revealed that thousands of previously unaccounted-for illegal immigrant children were located during the ICE immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, marking what allies describe as a major breakthrough in both public safety and child protection.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital that Operation Metro Surge — a coordinated federal law enforcement action carried out in Minneapolis — led to the recovery of roughly 3,000 immigrant children who had previously been considered missing. Emmer also highlighted the broader scope of the crackdown, saying, “Do you realize that Operation Metro Surge picked up 4,000 illegal alien criminals? R-p–ts, murderers, p-d-ph—s, drug dealers — 4,000!”
ICE has LOCATED over 3,300 missing migrant children in Minnesota.
Thousands of innocent children, the last administration lost track of and FAILED to protect.
Each one of those lives matters. God bless our ICE agents! pic.twitter.com/7W4OBrGWma
— Mary Miller (@Miller_Congress) February 12, 2026
Emmer added, “And by the way, I was told that, coming down here from the [House floor], that they’ve also located 3,000 missing migrant children. I mean, that’s just in the Minneapolis area. You gotta be kidding me.”
The Trump administration operation, spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, targeted individuals with criminal records while simultaneously locating minors who had fallen out of regular contact with federal authorities after entering the country.
Rep. Tom Emmer destroys Minnesota AG Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Frey in opening statement before Sen. Homeland Security Cmte.: “They have turned Minnesota into a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens.”
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 12, 2026
According to Emmer, the enforcement effort addressed two urgent concerns: dangerous criminal offenders living illegally in the U.S. and thousands of migrant children who had effectively disappeared from government tracking systems. The 3,000 minors were identified and located in the Minneapolis area during the surge, underscoring what he described as the scale of the breakdown in oversight.
Emmer also criticized Minnesota’s Democratic leadership, accusing Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison of failing to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities and, in his view, rooting against the success of the crackdown. He argued that sanctuary-style policies at the state and city levels have limited coordination with ICE. “Their crazy sanctuary state and sanctuary city policies literally have allowed these criminals to roam our streets and put our law-abiding, tax-paying, American citizens’ — good Minnesotans’ — lives at risk,” Emmer said.
SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO) TORCHES MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON — THIS IS WHAT ACCOUNTABILITY LOOKS LIKE
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) absolutely dismantled Keith Ellison over Minnesota’s massive fraud scandal, including the $9 billion in historic fraud and the $250 million Feeding Our… pic.twitter.com/oWdMr6Shjh
— Evelio Silvera (@eveliosilvera) February 13, 2026
He further blamed what he described as chaos surrounding immigration enforcement on what he called a refusal by certain Democratic leaders to work with federal officials. “I don’t care if you think they were in the right place, the wrong place, it doesn’t matter. A loss of a life is tragic, but it didn’t have to be this way,” Emmer said. “Had there been cooperation, none of this would have happened. If they will cooperate, which it sounds like they are now going forward, things are going to settle down very fast.”
Trump has repeatedly warned about gaps in oversight for unaccompanied migrant children released to sponsors. The Minnesota operation appears to reflect a renewed push to locate those minors, verify their safety and ensure they are accounted for within the immigration system.
Operation Metro Surge focused on interior enforcement, deploying federal resources to a metropolitan area believed to have a high concentration of migrant placements and unresolved immigration cases. Officials involved in the effort worked to track down individuals with outstanding removal orders and criminal histories, while also identifying minors whose whereabouts were previously uncertain.
Emmer underscored the scale of the arrests made possible by the Trump administration, pointing specifically to violent and serious offenders taken into custody. His remarks emphasized that those detained included individuals accused or convicted of crimes such as sexual assault, homicide and drug trafficking.
The recovery of 3,000 migrant children in a single metro area by the Trump administration has intensified scrutiny over prior monitoring systems. Lawmakers aligned with Trump argue that the numbers highlight how thousands of minors entered the country and were later unaccounted for, raising concerns about potential exploitation and trafficking risks.
ICE officials have framed such enforcement operations as both public safety missions and humanitarian efforts. By locating children previously believed to be missing, authorities are able to assess living conditions, ensure compliance with immigration proceedings and determine whether additional intervention is necessary.
Trump has consistently made immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his administration, emphasizing border security as well as interior crackdowns in major cities. Operation Metro Surge represents one of the most sweeping actions of its kind in Minnesota.
The dual outcomes — thousands of criminal arrests and the location of thousands of migrant children by the Trump administration — are likely to fuel ongoing policy debates in Washington over border management, sponsorship vetting and post-release oversight.
For Trump and congressional allies like Emmer, the results of Operation Metro Surge serve as evidence of what they describe as the impact of intensified ICE enforcement: removing dangerous offenders from communities while simultaneously locating vulnerable children who had slipped through the cracks.
