ICE Labeled 1,300 Operation Metro Surge Arrests as 'Collateral' — 34% of Total Were Untargeted

New reporting published April 8, 2026 revealed that ICE labeled over 1,300 of the approximately 3,785 total arrests made during Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota as 'collateral' arrests — meaning those individuals were not the original targets of the operation but were arrested because they happened to be present during enforcement actions targeting other people. This represented roughly 34% of total Metro Surge arrests. The disclosure came from FOIA data and internal ICE records reviewed by the Minnesota Reformer and other outlets. Advocacy groups pointed to the collateral arrest data as evidence that the operation was not the targeted criminal enforcement operation the Trump administration had publicly described. The 'collateral' framing echoed earlier revelations that fewer than 25% of Metro Surge arrestees had any criminal record. The operation, which was underway from late December 2025 through late March 2026, resulted in over 1,400 peak daily removals before the administration began pulling back following public backlash.