Evidence is incomplete or still developing; a future update may resolve it. Learn more in Methodology.
DHS law enforcement has recorded and publicly reported a cumulative total of more than 1,500 arrests in Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge, including the listed categories of offenses.
The claim comes directly from a January 8, 2026 U.S. Department of Homeland Security press release, which states: “Since Operation Metro Surge began DHS law enforcement arrested more than 1,500 illegal aliens, including murderers, pedophiles, rapists, and gang members across Minnesota.” Earlier DHS releases and local reporting in December 2025 cited a lower figure of “more than 400” arrests since the operation began on December 1, 2025, but no independently verifiable arrest database or audited tally is publicly available as of the same date.
Independent news coverage so far either repeats DHS’s numbers or notes that tracking arrests in this operation is difficult and data are incomplete, and there is no external evidence robust enough to either confirm or refute the specific total of “more than 1,500” or the detailed breakdown of offenses. Because current evidence relies solely on DHS’s own unverified accounting and there is no independent, detailed arrest data yet, the statement’s factual accuracy cannot be conclusively verified or disproven at this time, so the verdict is Unclear.