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Category: Immigration
February 12, 2026
Immigration

Border Czar Homan Announces End of Minnesota Immigration Enforcement Surge.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal immigration officers will begin drawing down their presence in Minnesota following a surge operation announced last month.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: White House Border Czar Tom Homan, President Donald J. Trump, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), and federal law enforcement officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Minnesota, with the drawdown set to occur next week; announcement made on February 12, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude.” – Tom Homan

🎯IMPACT: Over 4,000 arrests connected to the operation have been reported, with a significant reduction in personnel planned.

IN FULL

White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced on Thursday that the surge of federal immigration officers in Minnesota is coming to an end, with a drawdown set to occur over the course of next week. Homan stated, “I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude.”

Late last month, Homan—who was dispatched by the Trump White House to take Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota—announced that he had reached an agreement with state officials who committed to ensuring that Minnesota county jails will now notify ICE agents as to the release dates for migrants deemed “criminal public safety risks.” The Border Czar stated that the Trump administration would begin drawing down the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota as a result.

Subsequently, on February 4, Homan announced that federal authorities would begin “drawing down” 700 law enforcement personnel in Minnesota, leaving approximately 2,000 agents in the state—still a significant increase from the 150 agents present before the surge. Homan emphasized that the full drawdown would depend on the cessation of illegal and threatening activities targeting ICE and its federal partners.

The National Pulse reported earlier this week that Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) stated he anticipated Operation Metro Surge would last “days, not weeks and months.” Meanwhile, White House officials have reported that at least 4,000 arrests in Minnesota have been connected to the federal operation.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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February 12, 2026
Immigration
UK

WATCH: Farage Says Man Utd Owner Ratcliffe is Right About Britain Being ‘Colonized by Immigrants.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has backed comments by Manchester United owner and industrial tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe about immigration and its impact on Britain.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Nigel Farage and Jim Ratcliffe.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Farage made his comments in a video statement published online on Thursday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “[L]ook at parts of London, for example, where the road names and underground signs aren’t just in English—they’re in a foreign language as well. One million people living in this country don’t speak any English at all. Four million people living in this country barely speak passable English. And that’s the point he was making: that big areas of our towns and cities have been changed into something completely different to what they were, and that it’s all making us poorer.” – Nigel Farage

🎯IMPACT: Ratcliffe’s comments and Farage’s endorsement of them showcase the growing importance of mass migration and its consequences in Britain’s political discourse.

IN FULL

Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has endorsed British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent remarks on mass migration, insisting the INEOS founder and Manchester United co-owner is correct in highlighting the pressures on the country’s resources and identity. Sir Jim stated in a recent interview that Britain “has been colonized by immigrants,” arguing that the nation cannot sustain “an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.”

In a video statement released on Thursday morning, Farage backed the Tycoon, saying, “What he said [is] that our population has gone up from 58 million to 70 million and that with nine million people of working age on benefits, we don’t need mass migration. He said much of the country had been colonized by immigrants.”

Addressing backlash from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other liberals over the use of the word “colonized,” Farage said, “Now, that word was a controversial word, and he said, ‘OK, if you don’t like the word, we’ll tone it down.’ But just think about this: You ask yourself why public services have diminished. You ask yourself why rents have gone through the roof. The population explosion has done that.”

Farage pointed to the many visible changes in Britain’s urban areas, noting “parts of London, for example, where the road names, the Underground signs aren’t just in English, they’re in a foreign language as well. One million people living in this country don’t speak any English at all. Four million people living in this country barely speak passable English.”

He argued these shifts have fundamentally altered communities, “that big areas of our towns and cities have been changed into something completely different to what they were. And that it’s all making us poorer.”

Farage rejected the criticism of Sir Jim from the Prime Minister and corporate media outlets, declaring: “I don’t really care if Number 10 is in uproar or if much of mainstream media find his comments too difficult. I believe firmly that Jim Ratcliffe is right.”

YouGov tracking shows 69 percent of Britons believe immigration levels over the last ten years have been too high, with a mere four percent saying they have been too low and just 17 percent viewing them as about right, indicating broad public alignment with concerns raised by Ratcliffe and Farage.

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February 12, 2026
Immigration
Sports

ICE Will Help Secure Soccer World Cup, Won’t Suspend Immigration Enforcement.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed the agency’s involvement in World Cup security.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Representative Nellie Pou (D-NJ), and FIFA officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The World Cup is scheduled across North America this summer.

💬KEY QUOTE: “ICE is dedicated to ensuring that everyone that visits the facilities will have a safe and secure event.” – Todd Lyons.

🎯IMPACT: ICE will not suspend immigration enforcement during the soccer tournament, as Democrats have requested.

IN FULL

Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons told lawmakers during a congressional hearing that the agency will play a visible role in security for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, stating that ICE is “a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup.” His remarks came in response to questions about whether the agency would suspend enforcement operations during the tournament.

Lyons said ICE is committed to helping secure the tournament and ensuring the safety of those attending, saying, “ICE is dedicated to ensuring that everyone who visits the facilities will have a safe and secure event.” The United States will host 78 matches across 11 cities, while co-hosts Canada and Mexico will each stage 13 games.

The hearing followed controversy surrounding ICE operations in Minneapolis, in which anti-ICE activists Alex Pretti and Renee Good were shot and killed during confrontations with federal agents. The incidents, part of a broader immigration crackdown under President Donald J. Trump, prompted protests from coordinated leftist agitators and the deployment of approximately 3,000 agents to the city.

ICE’s role at major sporting events has been under scrutiny beyond the World Cup. In contrast to its planned participation in World Cup security, the agency previously indicated it would not conduct immigration enforcement operations at the Super Bowl, even as it supported broader security efforts coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security.

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February 11, 2026
Immigration
Lawfare

How District Court Judges Are Defying Pro-Trump Immigration Rulings, Explained:

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. District Court judges are seeking ways to counter a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that has cleared the way for the Trump administration to continue detaining illegal immigrants without issuing bond.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Judges from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and federal district judges in Texas.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Rulings made throughout February 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: The Fifth Circuit ruling “has no bearing on this Court’s determination of whether [the petitioner] is being detained in violation of his constitutional right to procedural due process.” — District Court Judge Kathleen Cardone

🎯IMPACT: The lower court actions appear to be a flagrant attempt to undermine the higher court precedent in the service of advancing a political agenda favorable to illegal immigrants.

IN FULL

A group of U.S. District Court judges are utilizing several workarounds to avoid conflicting with a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling from Friday that cleared the way for the Trump administration to continue detaining illegal immigrants without issuing bond. The Fifth Circuit’s ruling found that “unadmitted aliens apprehended anywhere in the United States are ineligible for release on bond, regardless of how long they have resided inside the United States.”

However, two federal district court judges in Texas—so far—believe they have identified a loophole in the appellate court ruling that allows lower courts to continue issuing bond releases for illegal immigrants based on constitutional grounds. District Court Judges Kathleen Cardone—a Bush appointee—and David Briones—a Clinton appointee—both contend in rulings made earlier this week that the Fifth Circuit ruling “has no bearing on this Court’s determination of whether [the petitioner] is being detained in violation of his constitutional right to procedural due process.”

Both judges insist a “liberty interest” must be considered in relation to immigration bond requests. Judge Briones wrote in his ruling on Monday, “The Court reiterates its original holding that noncitizens who have ‘established connections’ in the United States by virtue of living in the country for a substantial period acquire a liberty interest in being free from government detention without due process of law.”

The rulings by both judges appear to be a blatant attempt to circumvent the Fifth Circuit ruling, which had shot down claims that because the former Biden government used executive discretion to grant some bond requests—mostly involving illegal immigrants with so-called “established connections” to the United States—the policy was binding on the Trump White House. “That prior Administrations decided to use less than their full enforcement authority under [the law] does not mean they lacked the authority to do more,” Circuit Judge Edith H. Jones wrote for the two-to-one Fifth Circuit majority.

Notably, illegal immigrants have filed an unprecedented number of “habeas” petitions across Louisiana and Texas, where the Fifth Circuit has jurisdiction. Meanwhile, several other district court judges outside the Fifth Circuit’s jurisdiction—and almost exclusively Biden appointees—slammed the Friday ruling. New Jersey District Court Judge Evelyn Padin—a Biden appointee—said she was “unpersuaded” by the ruling, while Colorado District Court Judge Charlotte Sweeney—also appointed by Biden—accused the circuit court of paying merely  “lip service” to the law.

The National Pulse reported in March of last year that, in his first two months in office, President Donald J. Trump faced over 100 legal challenges to his administration’s policies, more than double the number faced by any other president at the same point in their term.

Image by Katrin Bolovtsova.

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February 11, 2026
Crime
Immigration

Walz Expects ICE to Leave Minnesota in ‘Matter of Days.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz (D) expressed optimism that a federal immigration crackdown in the state could conclude within “days, not weeks and months.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Tim Walz, White House Border Czar Tom Homan, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Recent discussions took place in late January and early February 2026, with updates provided during a press conference at The Market at Malcolm Yards in Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We’re very much in a trust but verify mode. It would be my hope that Mr. Homan goes out before Friday and announces that this thing is done.” — Gov. Walz

🎯IMPACT: The DHS confirmed it has arrested more than 4,000 illegal immigrants in Minnesota since the launch of Operation Metro Surge in late 2025.

IN FULL

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) says he believes the federal immigration enforcement actions in his state will wind down in a matter of days and not weeks. The Democrat governor and failed vice presidential candidate said this timeline was based on recent discussions with Trump White House Border Czar Tom Homan and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

“We’re very much in a trust but verify mode,” Walz said, continuing, “It would be my hope that Mr. Homan goes out before Friday and announces that this thing is done, and they’re bringing her down and they’re bringing her down in days.”

Walz confirmed that while 700 federal agents have left Minnesota, around 2,300 remain as part of ongoing immigration enforcement actions. The National Pulse previously reported that Homan attributed the drawdown of federal agents to increased cooperation from county jails in handing over illegal immigrants when they are detained by local law enforcement.

Still, Gov. Walz says he is demanding the federal government broaden its collaboration into the investigations of two fatal shootings of anti-ICE agitators by federal officers.

The National Pulse reported last week that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it has arrested more than 4,000 illegal immigrants in Minnesota since the launch of Operation Metro Surge in late 2025. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “Despite coordinated attacks of violence against our law enforcement, our officers have made more than 4,000 arrests of illegal aliens including murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists in Minnesota since Operation Metro Surge began.”

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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February 11, 2026
Crime
Immigration
UK

Afghan Convicted for Kidnap and Repeated Rape of 12-Year-Old.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: An Afghan asylum seeker was found guilty of abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl in a targeted attack in Nuneaton, England.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Afghan national Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was convicted of multiple offences. His co-defendant, Mohammad Kabir, was acquitted of all charges.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack occurred last summer in Nuneaton. The trial took place at Warwick Crown Court.

💬KEY QUOTE: “He will plainly receive a substantial custodial sentence which will automatically make him liable for deportation at its conclusion.” – Judge Kristina Montgomery KC

🎯IMPACT: The case sparked protests and calls for more transparency from public figures regarding the immigration status of offenders.

IN FULL

Ahmad Mulakhil, a 23-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, has been convicted of multiple serious offences following a targeted attack on a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, England, last summer. A jury at Warwick Crown Court found him guilty of rape, two counts of sexual assault, child abduction, and taking an indecent video of the child. He had also admitted to an additional rape charge before the trial began.

Mulakhil arrived in Britain around four months before the attack after submitting an immigration application that referred to unspecified “problems” in Afghanistan. Although the jury was not told how he entered the country, it later emerged that he had arrived illegally on a small boat.

His co-defendant, Mohammad Kabir, also an Afghan asylum seeker, was cleared of all charges, including intentional strangulation, attempted child abduction, and committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence. Kabir denied any wrongdoing, telling the court that he “never touched the victim and had no sexual intentions toward her.” He claimed to be 22, while court records listed his age as 24.

Remanding Mulakhil in custody ahead of sentencing, Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said, “He will plainly receive a substantial custodial sentence which will automatically make him liable for deportation at its conclusion.” This does not mean he definitely will be deported, however, with many foreign sex offenders in Britain able to use human rights laws to stay in the country.

The convictions drew sharp reactions from senior political figures. Reform Paarty leader Nigel Farage and Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch accused authorities of a “cover-up” over how details of the case were handled publicly. Farage renewed calls for police to routinely disclose the immigration status of criminal suspects, something that is not standard practice despite being permitted under current guidance “if deemed necessary for legitimate policing purposes.”

The case has added to wider debate following other recent reports involving Afghan nationals in the United Kingdom and the United States, including prosecutions for serious sexual offences, fatal stabbings, and alleged terror threats.

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February 10, 2026
Corruption
Immigration

Colony Ridge Migrant Haven Settles With Paxton for $68 Million.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Colony Ridge, a Texas neighborhood marketed primarily to illegal immigrants, agreed to pay $68 million in penalties as part of a settlement with the Trump administration and the State of Texas.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Trump administration, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Colony Ridge developers, and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The settlement was filed in federal court on February 10, 2026. Located just north of Houston, the settlement follows investigations into Colony Ridge’s practices, which were first exposed in 2023.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Colony Ridge endangered American citizens by allowing illegal aliens to run rampant on its streets, in its schools, and in its community. Now, it’s time for those responsible to pay a steep cost for their unlawful actions,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

🎯IMPACT: The settlement includes measures to prevent loans to illegal immigrants, boost deportations, and address safety and infrastructure issues in the community.

IN FULL

The infamous Colony Ridge development in Texas has reached a preliminary settlement agreement with the State of Texas an the Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) over allegations of corrupt business practices, including accusations that the developers marketed explicitly to illegal immigrants. According to the settlement, filed in a federal court in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, the Colony Ridge developers have agreed to pay $68 million, halt new land sales for three years, adhere to strict buy identification and verification requirements, and submit to stricter lending, foreclosure, and advertising rules.

“Colony Ridge endangered American citizens by allowing illegal aliens to run rampant on its streets, in its schools, and in its community. Now, it’s time for those responsible to pay a steep cost for their unlawful actions,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said of the settlement, adding, “My office will continue to bring the full force of the law against anyone who threatens the safety of our state or creates a safe harbor for illegals.”

Most importantly, the proposed settlement—which still requires court clearance but is likely to be approved—will require purchasers to possess a valid Texas-issued identification card or valid immigration documents. This means that Colony Ridge properties can no longer be sold to illegal immigrants, which is how developers previously sought to rapidly expand property sales.

Notably, state and federal prosecutors detailed how Colony Ridge properties were advertised almost exclusively through Spanish-language media, with a strong focus on foreign nationals. This allowed strategy resulted in Colony Ridge becoming the “fastest growing development” in the United States, though the properties were not being sold to U.S. citizens.

In addition, the developers behind Colony Ridge have agreed to pay $68 million as part of the settlement. This includes $48 million earmarked for road, drainage, and flood control maintenance. Another $20 million will be set aside to cover law enforcement costs, including immigration operations. Notably, the Colony Ridge development has been plagued with incidents of crime—often attributed to its large illegal immigrant population.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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February 9, 2026
Crime
Immigration

Illegal Vegas ‘Biolab’ Linked to Chinese and Israeli Nationals Leaves Several People ‘Deathly Ill.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Authorities have sent over 1,000 pieces of evidence and unknown substances for testing after a suspected illegal biolab was discovered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Local law enforcement, including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and two foreign nationals, including the Chinese property owner and the French-Israeli property manager.

📍WHEN & WHERE: February, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

🎯IMPACT: Several people fell “deathly ill” after staying at the property where the alleged biolab—which also served as an Airbnb—was located. Its Chinese owner is linked to another alleged biolab in California, which contained materials including suspected strains of COVID-19, hepatitis, and HIV.

IN FULL

Authorities in Las Vegas, Nevada, are investigating a suspected illegal biological laboratory discovered in a residential home in the Sunrise Manor area that also operated as an Airbnb. Court documents obtained by KLAS indicate that several people who spent time inside the property became “deathly ill.”

The investigation gained momentum following a tip to authorities, including reports from a former house cleaner who entered the locked garage and noted a foul, hospital-like smell—described as stale and stagnant rather than clean. Several days later, two people reportedly became gravely ill after exposure to the area.

On January 31, 2026, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed search warrants at the home on Sugar Springs Drive, along with another property. The multi-day operation, concluding early on February 2, uncovered what police described as a “possible biological laboratory.” Items recovered included refrigerators and freezers containing vials with unknown liquids—some reddish or red-brown—along with bio-safety equipment, centrifuges, and other materials stored in a locked garage.

More than 1,000 pieces of evidence and unidentified substances were collected and submitted for testing at FBI laboratories to determine their nature and any potential hazards. LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill noted during a press conference that the items appear “consistent in appearance” with those recovered from a similar alleged biolab case in Reedley, California, in 2023, where materials were linked to possible infectious diseases such as hepatitis, COVID-19, and HIV. Notably, the California and Nevada properties are owned by the same person.

The probe has resulted in charges against two foreign nationals. The first suspect is property owner David He, a Chinese national possibly tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who is already in federal custody related to the California case, and has pleaded not guilty to associated charges. The second suspect is Ori Solomon, the property manager for the Sugar Springs Drive property and another property on Temple View Drive. Solomon, who holds French and Israeli passports and is in the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa, was initially booked into the Clark County Detention Center on state charges of disposing of and discharging hazardous waste. He also faces federal accusations of illegally possessing firearms.

A federal judge later ordered Solomon’s release on personal recognizance bond, with conditions including surrendering his passports and restrictions on travel.

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February 6, 2026
William Upton
Immigration
Religion

Mamdani, from Islam’s Extreme ‘Twelver’ Sect, Says He Supports Immigration Because It ‘Built’ His Religion.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), a member of the extremist “Twelver” sect of Shia Islam, invoked the Prophet Muhammad and the history of Islam to defend his support for even more expansive sanctuary laws while speaking before 400 faith leaders at the annual Interfaith Breakfast.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, illegal immigrants, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and New York residents.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The Interfaith Breakfast occurred on Friday, February 6, 2026, in New York City.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I consider my own faith, Islam, a religion built upon a narrative of migration. The story of the Hijrah reminds us that Prophet Muhammad, was a stranger too, who fled Mecca and was welcomed in Medina.” — Zohran Mamdani

🎯IMPACT: While Mamdani likely intended to relate his protection of criminal illegal immigrants to a seemingly sympathetic story of faith and religious persecution, the Hijrah not only marks Muhammad’s flight from Mecca but also the start of the Early Muslim conquests of the Middle East, when Muhammad returned to Mecca with an army, with his successors going on to take over North Africa, Spain, and other territories by force of arms.

IN FULL

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), a member of the extremist “Twelver” sect of Shia Islam, invoked the Prophet Muhammad and the history of Islam to defend his support for even more expansive sanctuary laws while speaking before 400 faith leaders at the annual Interfaith Breakfast on Friday. Immediately following his address, the Ugandan immigrant socialist signed Executive Order 13, which bans U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from all city property—as well as hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, and municipal parking lots—unless they present a judicial warrant. Additionally, the measure orders city workers to refuse federal government requests for information about New York City residents unless required by law.

“I consider my own faith, Islam, a religion built upon a narrative of migration. The story of the Hijrah reminds us that Prophet Muhammad, was a stranger too, who fled Mecca and was welcomed in Medina,” Mamdani said before quoting the Quran. “Sura An-Nahl 16:42 tells us: ‘As for those who emigrated in the cause of Allah after being persecuted, we will surely bless them with a good home in this world,'” he said.

While Mamdani likely intended to relate his protection of criminal illegal immigrants to a seemingly sympathetic story of faith and religious persecution, the Hijrah, in which Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina after persecution in Mecca, marks the beginning Early Muslim conquests, which saw Muhammad establish the first Islamic state in Medina and initiate a series of violent conquests that captured Mecca and most of modern-day Saudi Arabia.


Over the next 130 years, Muhammad‘s successors, under the successive Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates, would wage war across most of the Middle East and North Africa. By 750 A.D., the conquests had spread Islam through warfare from Persia, which was formerly Zoroastrian, to Spain, and as far north as the Caucasus.

Mamdani’s own “Twelver” sect of Islam, shared by Iran’s ruling mullahs, believes that there is a 1,200-year-old living prophet who is still alive but currently in hiding, and he will emerge to spread Islam worldwide in the future.

Notably, the former Biden government’s open border policies have been criticized by many, including President Donald J. Trump and two-thirds of Americans, as having facilitated a foreign invasion of the United States by millions of illegal immigrants. While most of those who illegally entered the country under Biden originated from countries in Central and South America, the refugee crisis in Europe has seen a flood of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants coming from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Overwhelmingly Muslim men of military age, these so-called refugees have fueled a cultural and religious clash that has seen acts of terrorism, rape, and attacks on churches and synagogues.

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February 5, 2026
Immigration
News

Trump Now Wants ‘Softer Touch’ on Immigration Enforcement.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump suggested immigration enforcement could benefit from a “softer touch” following federal operations in Minnesota.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, federal agents, anti-ICE activists Alex Pretti and Renee Good, White House Border Czar Tom Homan, and state and local authorities in Minnesota.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Late 2025 through early 2026 in Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough.” – Donald J. Trump

🎯IMPACT: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a partial drawdown of federal agents in Minnesota, citing increased cooperation with local authorities.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump has said that recent clashes between federal agents and far-left agitators in Minnesota have prompted him to consider a “softer” approach to immigration enforcement. During an interview, Trump was asked what he learned from the federal immigration operation in Minneapolis–St. Paul area following the fatal January shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good during confrontations involving federal agents and anti-ICE agitators.

“I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough,” Trump said. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deployed approximately 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota in what it described as the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history. Trump said he had personally reached out to state and local leaders during the operation. “I’ve called the Governor. I’ve called the Mayor [of Minneapolis], spoke to them, had great conversations with them,” he said. “And then I see them ranting and raving out there, literally, as though a call wasn’t made. We’ve done a great job everywhere.”

According to the administration, those conversations led to increased cooperation from Minnesota officials. Trump has said that Gov. Tim Walz (D) agreed to work with White House Border Czar Tom Homan to facilitate the transfer of illegal immigrants with criminal records from local jails into federal custody, reducing the need for large-scale street arrests.

Homan announced that this “unprecedented cooperation” would allow DHS to scale back its presence in the state. “Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration and as a result of the need for less law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I have announced, effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people,” Homan said.

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