Twin Cities economy reels as ICE’s Operation Metro Surge nears third month

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Operation Metro Surge, nearing its third month in Minnesota, has coincided with steep drops in business across the Twin Cities, The New York Times reported on Feb. 2, 2026. Business owners described traumatic encounters with federal agents. On Dec.

11, Henry Garnica said officers surrounded his East St. Paul grocery, demanded identification without a warrant, and left after about 40 minutes; in the following weeks, he said agents drove by daily, four of his 10 workers stopped coming, and sales fell about 45 percent. City officials and local surveys point to large economic effects: Minneapolis estimated a $20 million weekly cost, the city’s convention and visitors bureau found 72 percent of surveyed employers had canceled, postponed or reduced sales, and officials said companies across the region reported steep revenue declines.

Erik Hansen, Minneapolis’s director of community planning and economic development, said, “It’s been brutal.” Owners of restaurants and shops described sharp cutbacks. Sarah Enrico, who runs a catering company with about 50 employees, said clients postponed events, including one for 280 people worth $30,000.

Oscar Murcia, owner of El Guanaco, said traffic plunged 80 percent at a Minneapolis location, forcing its closure; he has cut hours and staff and said four of his 64 employees were detained despite having work permits or pending asylum claims.

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