Minnesota officials accused the Trump administration of using Operation Metro Surge to deploy 3,000 heavily armed agents on state streets to force policy changes outside judicial processes, as reported in an X post by @kyledcheney in the past 29 minutes. The officials stated, "They are not letting the courts work this stuff out. What they’re trying to get in court ... they’re trying to get that same thing by putting 3,000 heavily armed agents on the streets of Minnesota," according to the post shared at approximately 4:00 PM UTC on Jan. 26, 2026. This development follows President Trump's announcement earlier today to send Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight amid protests linked to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, as previously reported. Fox News commentators stated the administration "dropped the ball" on messaging about Pretti's death, with former Rep. Trey Gowdy saying, “We certainly should not be labeling him as a domestic terrorist who was going to execute cops. There is no evidence to support that,” per an X post by @DashaBurns during the reporting window. Polls shared by @ForecasterEnten show ICE net approval at an all-time low under Trump of minus 27 points, DHS approval at 42% versus 59% at a similar point in his first term, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's net approval negative in every poll.
