He US Government has moved to Minneapolis near 3,000 federal agentsbetween the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrolwith the aim of intensifying migration operations in cities, far beyond the border line. With this deployment, the official figures include some 3,200 arrests in the city during the last month, which comes out to a ratio of one arrest per agent per month, something that immigration experts question not only because of the violence – two deaths at the hands of agents from both forces just two weeks apart – but also at the level of efficiency.
“These operations are ineffective, costly and are raising more social controversy and increasing friction and confrontations in a system that should exist, but that has not been so effective and transparent”, Ariel Ruiz explains to EL PERIÓDICOprincipal investigator of the Migration Policy Institute. Criticism focuses on the relationship between resources, costs (economic and also human) and results. Furthermore, some of the arrests do not imply immediate expulsion: there are cases in which people are detained, go through the system and are left in a procedural situation that does not automatically translate into deportation.
Less border pressure
The origin of this turn has two factors. The first is the fall of irregular crossings in the frontera south with Mexico: ““The number of irregular entries into the United States has fallen to the lowest levels since 1970.”remembers Ruiz. The trend, he explains, had begun before Trump’s return, with a decline already visible in the last months of Joe Biden, and was consolidated with more restrictive measures, especially regarding asylum.
Added to this picture was the anti-immigration toughening at the beginning of Trump’s mandate and greater control carried out by Mexican law enforcement forces, a demand of the Republican. Consequently, according to Ruiz, ““fewer encounters on the border, more capacity to carry out this type of operations in the interior”.
The budget lever
The second factor is the injection of 75 billion dollars to increase the capacity to carry out immigration control operations in the United States. This is part of Trump’s legislative achievement, who got Congress to pass an omnibus law that he called Big Beautiful Bill (the great and beautiful law) which consisted of redirecting public resources to the priorities of the Trumpist ideology.
“Even if border crossings increase tomorrow and they have to increase the presence at the border again, there are enough additional agents and resources to be able to mobilize them in all parts of the country at the same time,” this expert emphasizes. With this cushion, the Administration has margin to sustain a high federal presence in inland cities and maintain prolonged operations, even if pressure on the border increases again.
Performance and costs
Most of that additional $75 billion has gone to ICE, which has launched a controversial recruiting campaign, but also includes the Border Patrol. And, in any case, both agencies act hand in hand in joint operations throughout the country, far beyond the border.
Between the two, the deployment in Minneapolis is notable: For every police officer in the city there are three immigration agents deployed, a proportion that, according to Ruiz’s analysis, is unprecedented. Furthermore, far from increasing the feeling of security, it has raised citizen alarm since many of these agents do not wear visible insignia on uniforms or vehicles.
Activists light candles during a vigil for Alex Pretti outside the Department of Veterans Affairs; A sign reads: “Alex Petri was murdered by the police” / Gent Shkullaku / ZUMA via Europa Press
New tactic and social impact
Not only are there more agents, but the way they act has changed. Traditional ICE tactics were more focused on prior intelligence and targeted arrests. However, the entry of the Border Patrol inside, perceived as more visible, has been accompanied by a more frequent use of force in arrests.
“Tactics changed as the Border Patrol’s new role beyond the border began to emerge.”says Ruiz. To do this, Trump made this body responsible for Greg Bovinowho gained notoriety for leading (and publicizing) tough operations in large cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis. At Trump’s direction, he reorganized the force and expanded the agency’s role inside.
“For that, leadership was given to Commander Bovino under President Trump, who is now taking it away,” he points out. And, in response to the criticism received in recent weeks of the excessive use of force, his relocation and adjustments to their command functions in those operations.
This script twist – which still cannot be known if it is real or just a smokescreen – is a direct response to the social reaction and the continued protests in the street. The two deaths of US citizens –Renee Good y Alex Pretti– and the arrest of a minor five years together with his father, they have sparked outrage and revived protests. For Ruiz, these episodes “have reinforced social rejection” and “have placed the deployment under a political and media spotlight.”
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