Minneapolis officials have updated their estimate for the cost of the city’s immigration enforcement operation to nearly $700 million.
That number is up from the $203 million in costs that Minneapolis estimated from Operation Metro Surge in February. The latest data covered December 2025 through April 2026, whereas the initial report only covered January.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, one of many city leaders who unveiled the new figure on Wednesday, said the economic damages greatly affected residents, businesses, and neighborhoods in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement had a heavy presence.
“This report documents some of the real hardships, the lost income, the food insecurity, and increased mental health needs, but it also documents something else,” Frey said. “It documents the strength of the community and how that community stood up for its neighbors.”
Operation Metro Surge ended in mid-February after White House border czar Tom Homan announced federal authorities would withdraw from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in Minnesota. Since then, the Minneapolis government has been trying to recover from the negative economic impact of the ICE operation.
The city’s report reveals workers and businesses lost an estimated $607 million and lists the areas in which the city helped its community. About $63 million in rent assistance was provided, and another $9 million was allocated for food security assistance. Mental health support received $7 million, and youth wellbeing, safety, and education efforts got $2 million. Also, almost $10 million went toward city operations.
Frey said the city’s small-business resiliency fund helped offset some of the costs for local restaurants and stores, which he encouraged residents to visit. The city has already started paying out license fee refunds to almost 1,200 local businesses.
Minneapolis Emergency Management Director Rachel Sayre called the updated $700 million figure an underestimate, noting that the total expenditures are closer to $1 billion than $1 million.
Wednesday’s report cites a recent University of San Diego study that shows Minneapolis restaurants lost nearly $83 million in revenue. Retail stores lost over $63 million, and grocery stores lost $28 million.
An earlier report released by North Star Policy Action disclosed that Minnesota’s leisure and hospitality sector lost roughly 4,600 jobs and caused $71 million in lost wages during the first three months of the year due to Operation Metro Surge. The sector, which was the most affected, represents 8.7% of the state’s workforce.
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Minnesota state Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, pointed to the North Star report as a reason that both chambers of the state legislature should pass economic relief for businesses.
“The economic recovery package that passed the Senate would have gone a long way to help businesses that are still reeling from the federal occupation of our state,” Champion said in a statement on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, my push to help them was killed by House Republicans in the final hours of the legislative session. Our work is not done, and I will continue to look for ways to help businesses still recovering from Metro Surge.”
