The History Behind ICE’s Aggressive Urban Tactics
Also today: Trump's call to 'nationalize' elections runs into the constitution, and how Milan designed an unmonumental Olympics game.
Federal agents detain someone in Minneapolis on Jan. 29, 2026, as ICE’s Operation Metro Surge continues in the Twin Cities.
Photographer: Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune/Getty Images
The aggressive behavior of federal immigration agents in the streets of Minneapolis, Los Angeles and beyond has prompted mass protest, as well as demands from Democratic lawmakers for reform. But many of their tactics are not new in immigration enforcement. They’ve migrated from the US border — where Border Patrol is granted extraordinary constitutional flexibility in the name of national security — to the middle of America’s densest neighborhoods.
Under the second Trump administration, lines have blurred between BP and other federal agencies that operate outside of the border zone, namely Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. ICE historically characterized its operations as targeted, but has since adopted many of BP’s practices, which has led to tactics like roving patrols, warrantless arrests and using force for crowd control. Read more from Fola Akinnibi today on CityLab: ICE’s Aggressive Urban Tactics Were Forged Along the Southern Border