Minnesota immigration enforcement surge ends as Congress deadlocked over DHS funding

President Donald Trump attends an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday.

President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that he has not disciplined a staffer responsible for sharing on social media the since-deleted racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle.

“No, I haven’t. That was a video on, as you know, voter fraud, and fairly long video, and they had a little piece, and had to do with the Lion King. It’s been very well, it’s been shown all over the place long before that was posted,” the president said.

The president has refused to apologize for posting and then deleting the racist video. Instead, Trump has insisted that he hadn’t seen the final frames containing the offensive content and blamed a staffer for the mistake.

The video was posted late last week and remained online for nearly 12 hours before the White House took it down amid bipartisan outrage, including from close Trump allies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday.

Speaker Mike Johnson called the White House proposal in the negotiations for Department of Homeland Security funding “eminently reasonable” and criticized some Democrats for wanting “to impose pain.”

“I saw the last proposal sent over from the White House. It is eminently reasonable and gives on us on some very meaningful provisions that were part of the discussions,” he told CNN, adding “It seems to me, the appearance here is that some Democrats, House and Senate, want a government shutdown. They want to impose more pain on the American people. For what? I have no idea.”

Johnson maintained his hardline stance against requiring judicial warrants, saying it would “shut down the deportation of virtually all illegal immigrants.”

“You can’t do that. You can’t have an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program if you have to get a judicial warrant every time you go to arrest someone. That’s not how it works. It’s not how it can work. It’s not workable.”

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testifies before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies on Capitol Hill on February 10.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he hasn’t yet spoken with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the revelations that the Cabinet official visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island — and hadn’t been aware of the extent of the contact between Lutnick and the convicted sex offender.

“I wasn’t aware of it,” Trump said during an event at the White House. “I actually haven’t spoken about it.”

Lutnick acknowledged this week that he and his family visited Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender, for lunch on his island in 2012. Documents released by the Justice Department had indicated hat Lutnick had more contact with Epstein than he’d previously acknowledged.

But Trump on Thursday offered little indication he was troubled by the new information.

“From what I hear, he was there with his wife and children, and I guess in some cases some people were,” Trump said. “I wasn’t. I was never there.”

Democratic senators voted to block a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of Friday night’s funding deadline, making a shutdown of the agency that handles FEMA, TSA and the Coast Guard all but certain.

The vote was 52 to 47. It needed 60 to advance.

Senators are leaving town after the vote for a pre-planned week-long recess, with GOP Leader John Thune saying he’ll call them back to Washington if there is a deal between Democrats and the White House on changes to federal immigration enforcement tactics.

Shortly, Senate Republicans plan to offer a two-week stopgap funding bill on the floor, and Democrats will also offer their own version of a two-week funding extension that excludes ICE and CBP. Both are expected to fail.

After each casts a final vote of the week, senators are leaving town for their Presidents Day recess.

The funding vote – which is not expected to pass – is not yet final, but the Department of Homeland Security is on track to shut down on Saturday after funding lapses Friday at midnight.

Both chambers could return next week to cast votes if a deal is reached.

Todd Lyons, acting director ICE, attends a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has opened more than three dozen internal investigations into allegations of excessive use of force by its agents from January 2025 to January 2026, the agency’s acting director, Todd Lyons, said during a hearing today.

“We look at every incidence, no matter what it is,” he said in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Lyons said that 18 of those investigations have been closed, 19 remain pending and one has been “referred for further action.” He did not specify which incident has been referred for further action.

“We do hold our individuals accountable,” he said.

Lyons has faced tough questioning from senators over the tactics of his agents during their operations in Minnesota and other states across the country, especially the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last month.

President Donald Trump showered Attorney General Pam Bondi with praise, after she sparred with House Judiciary members yesterday over the Justice Department’s release of its Jeffrey Epstein files.

Bondi had a notable exchange during the hearing with Rep. Tom Massie, a Trump foe and one of the Republicans who led the charge for the full release of Epstein files.

Trump said Massie “made a total fool of himself yesterday, fighting aimlessly against a hopeless agenda of Hate and Stupidity.”

There was no mention of the victims of Epstein’s crimes in Trump’s lengthy post, some of whom were seated in the hearing room. Bondi did not acknowledge them during the hearing, either.

Victims of Epstein’s crimes have called for transparency for years across several administrations. As CNN reported, they have also criticized the Trump administration for its rollout of the files, including releasing sensitive information regarding victims and over-redacting certain names.

Watch key moments from Bondi’s hearing below:

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Takeaways from Pam Bondi's fiery testimony on Capitol Hill

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday was some of the tensest and most combative testimony we’ve seen to date from a Trump Cabinet official. CNN's Paula Reid breaks down some of the critical moments.

02:23 • Source: CNN

Takeaways from Pam Bondi's fiery testimony on Capitol Hill

02:23

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters the White House’s latest counteroffer on changes to ICE protocols is moving closer to Democrats’ demands, despite Democrats rejecting the offer outright this morning and signaling they will not extend funding for DHS ahead of Friday’s shutdown deadline.

Democrats are expected to block a House-passed funding package this afternoon. Republicans and Democrats are also planning to block each other’s proposed stopgap funding bills, meaning the Senate will leave town for a recess week without funding DHS.

“I think the White House is pretty close with this offer, to get into a kind of an agreement zone,” Thune maintained. “I mean, I think the deal space is there, so I think it’s going to be up to the Dems to react to this and say, ‘Okay, we can’t do this or that,’ and maybe there’s some more ground the White House can give on a couple of fronts.”

Thune acknowledged that a shutdown is a real threat at this point.

“I think if they block a CR, hopefully negotiations continue. Obviously, that means that starting at midnight tomorrow night, there are certain agencies of government that won’t be funded, which would be unfortunate,” he said.

“They’re posturing right now, I think, but, but I do think the progress has been real. I think the concessions on the part of the administration have been real,” the GOP leader insisted.

Thune, however, won’t keep the Senate in DC through the long weekend or next week’s scheduled recess, and will only bring them back early if there’s a deal.

“I don’t know that there’s any value to or benefit to keeping everybody here, as long as the White House and the Senate Democrats are continuing that discussion,” he said.

Asked whether senators would be able to go on planned diplomatic trips, as some plan to attend the Munich Security Conference, Thune said that’s up to each senator to decide for themselves — though he’s previously encouraged senators not to go while schedules are up in the air.

Posters featuring Renee Good are plastered onto a boarded-up business in Minneapolis on January 11.

In his first public comments since the White House border czar announced Operation Metro Surge in the Minneapolis area was ending, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the crackdown did serious economic damage to the state.

The governor spoke at a news conference announcing state plans for subsidized loans to small businesses Walz says suffered reduced foot traffic because of the immigration enforcement crackdown.

“The investments that need to come back,” Walz said. “They need to show — ‘they’ being the federal government and ‘they’ being this administration — they need to do more.”

Walz said he was in touch with Minnesota’s congressional delegation to discuss funding, but did not give specifics on how he wants the Trump administration to compensate the state.

CNN has asked the White House for comment about Walz’s statements.

Walz is “cautiously optimistic” about the drawdown in immigration officers in the Twin Cities, he said, adding it won’t end outrage over the surge that resulted in the detention of families and the deaths of two protesters.

“They left us with many unanswered questions: Where are our children? Where and what is the process of the investigations into those that were responsible for the deaths of Renee (Good) and Alex (Pretti)?” Walz asked.

“We’re certainly not going to celebrate something that should have never happened,” he added.

This post has been updated.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that he and other top Democrats are not satisfied by the White House’s latest proposal in the ongoing negotiations over ICE, adding the Department of Homeland Security funding bill would fail on the Senate floor later Thursday.

Jeffries said Democrats need to see policy changes to ICE’s immigration enforcement that are “bold, meaningful, and transformational” — and that the White House’s latest offer did not meet that bar.

Jeffries’ public comments come after the minority leader told CNN earlier Thursday that he was “skeptical” the White House offer would satisfy Democrats but said his team was still reviewing the legislative text from the White House.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, DC, on January 24, following the shooting of Alex Pretti.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott told a Senate committee that he never described Alex Pretti as a domestic terrorist to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem – nor was he aware of anyone in his agency doing so.

Almost immediately after Pretti’s killing last month, Noem and other top administration officials rushed to describe Pretti as a terrorist who was intent on massacring law enforcement.

But after video was released showing that Pretti was holding a phone and never drew the firearm he was carrying in a holster in his waistband, both Noem and top White House aide Stephen Miller said they were relying on information from Border Patrol officials on the ground for their premature initial assessments.

During today’s hearing, Sen. Gary Peters asked Scott whether that description of Pretti had come from him.

“No, sir,” Scott responded.

Asked whether someone in his staff told Noem that, Scott responded: “Not to my knowledge.”

Asked how Noem could come to that conclusion, Scott said:“I can’t speculate on what someone else would say or why, sir.”

House GOP leaders are expected to send members home on Thursday and will provide 48-hours notice to members if forcing them to return to Washington, according to multiple GOP sources.

The House has a pre-planned recess scheduled for next week.

Speaker Mike Johnson has said he hopes to bring members back as soon as possible to back a Department of Homeland Security funding bill — either another temporary funding patch or a full-year bill. But Senate Democrats have told CNN that they will oppose the Senate’s plans for a DHS funding vote later Thursday.

This means a DHS funding shutdown is likely to happen Friday at midnight and will not be resolved until the White House and Democrats can reach a deal on their ongoing negotiations over federal immigration enforcement.

First lady Melania Trump has helped secure the release of five Ukrainian children allegedly abducted by Russia and one Russian child, a top Russian official said, with the first lady’s office touting it as her third unification effort.

Trump’s engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which began in August, “helped accelerate these reunifications and lays the groundwork for a faster process going forward,” Maria Lvova-Belova, presidential commissioner for children’s rights in Russia, said in a statement.

“Today, five children—four boys and one girl, aged 4 to 15—are being reunited with their families in Ukraine, and one child is returning to Russia,” Lvova-Belova added.

Lvova-Belova and Putin are wanted by the International Criminal Court for the forced deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.

The first lady previously announced the return of eight Ukrainian children in October and seven more in December. Her office announced the additional release on Thursday but did not specify the number of children. CNN has reached out to her office for more information. It was not immediately clear whether the one Russian child is being returned to Russian-occupied territory that was originally part of Ukraine at the start of the war.

“I appreciate that Russia and Ukraine are dedicated to bringing back the children who have been displaced because of the circumstances surrounding this conflict,” Trump said in a statement, urging both countries to “intensify their efforts.”

Some advocates who have lauded the return of Ukrainian children have also raised concerns about Trump’s involvement — and especially her passive-voice characterization of how the children ended up in Russia, fearing that it will only end up playing to Putin, CNN previously reported.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott told a Senate committee today that body-worn camera footage of the killing of Alex Pretti will be made public “when it’s appropriate.”

Scott’s comments during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing came as the panel’s chairman, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, played video of the encounter that ended in Pretti’s death.

In response to several questions about what the video showed – including federal officers pushing a woman to the ground and spraying Pretti in the face while he held a phone in his hand – Scott said he would not be able to “jump to a conclusion in either direction.”

Asked by Paul whether the footage would be released, Scott responded: “yes.”

Paul said some of the conduct of Border Patrol officers was “inexcusable.”

Right now, he added, “I don’t know that the American public believes there can be an honest assessment.”

Correction: An earlier version of this post gave the wrong title for Rodney Scott. He is the Customs and Border Protection commissioner.

Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, left, calls the hearing to order on Thursday.

Opening the second portion of a Senate committee hearing on the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, GOP Sen. Rand Paul said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) “must admit their mistakes” to restore the public’s trust.

While the first part of the hearing featured state officials in Minneapolis who denounced the government’s crackdown, the second part includes top DHS and immigration officials, who Paul said will have to explain the conduct of their agents, including the ones involved in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

“My goal, with this hearing, is not to condemn or to argue to defund ICE,” Paul said. “My goal is to restore public trust.”

If officials don’t admit that there’s a problem, Paul added, “we’re not going to get anywhere.”

He then asked ICE acting Director Todd Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott whether yelling at their officers is a “form of domestic assault.”

Both responded no.

Paul then asked whether filming their officers was a crime. The two officials again responded no.

Sen. Mark Kelly speaks about the failed grand jury indictment against him during a news conference on Wednesday.

Sen. Mark Kelly said Democrats did discuss in their meeting today next steps in Department of Homeland Security funding showdown and that he believes the White House’s offer “seem[s] like a bunch of bullshit” that does not address “core issues.”

Kelly said he’s opposed to a stopgap funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, and wouldn’t back one unless there was a “change of leadership” at the top of DHS.

“For me to give any funding to that organization, I would have to see a plan for a serious overhaul to include change of leadership. Ya know the rot starts at the top,” he said.

Pushed if he was referring to DHS Secretary Noem, he said: “I want to see somebody.”

Two US ships collided in the Caribbean during a replenishment yesterday, causing two minor injuries, a military spokesperson told CNN.

The collision, between the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, USS Truxtun, and the fast-combat support ship, USNS Supply, is under investigation, a US Southern Command Spokesperson told CNN today. It was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The two ships have since resumed sailing, and the two people injured are in “stable condition,” Southern Command added.

Late last summer, the US bulked up its military presence around Latin America as part of ramped-up efforts to combat drug cartels. The USS Truxtun, which was commissioned in 2009, left Naval Station Norfolk for its deployment earlier this month as a part of that effort.

The USNS Supply, the Navy’s largest combat logistics ship, is part of the Military Sealift Command, a fleet of ships that provide equipment, fuel, supplies and ammunition for US forces worldwide.

In October, a significant percentage of all deployed US naval assets globally were located in US Southern Command, the US military’s command responsible for operations in the region.

Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell testifies on Thursday.

The commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections said law enforcement’s job in his state is made more “challenging” by misinformation from the White House.

“The levels of misinformation do become challenging,” Commissioner Paul Schnell said during a Senate hearing on Thursday.

He said the Trump administration, while promoting the so-called “worst of the worst” detained by ICE in the Twin Cities, recently posted on social media about a man who they claimed Immigration and Customs Enforcement took off the streets — but who was released directly to ICE by the state corrections department last May.

“And so this misinformation, I think, makes it much more challegning for law enforcement, and I think it’s contrary to the way it has historically been in terms of collaboration,” he said.

White House border czar Tom Homan holds a news conference at the Bishop Whipple Federal building on Thursday.

Operation Metro Surge is ending, White House Border czar Tom Homan announced today. But the announcement left some questions unanswered.

Here’s what we know:

Here’s what’s still unclear:

CNN’s Kit Maher, Lauren Mascarenhas, and Andy Rose contributed to this reporting.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, left, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are looking toward an economic rebound and a reopening in the state after border czar Tom Homan announced an end to the immigration enforcement surge operation today.

Homan said the enforcement crackdown that roiled Minnesota, led to the deaths of two US citizens and triggered widespread outrage was coming to an end after yielding “successful results.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey framed the moment as a win for the people of Minnesota. “They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation,” Frey wrote on X.

Frey, Walz and other Minnesota leaders voiced fierce opposition to the surge throughout the months-long operation.

“Minnesotans stood together, stared down ICE, and never blinked,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said on X.

Minnesota Lieutenant Gov. Peggy Flanagan called on the government to assist in the recovery.

“Our schools, our small businesses, and our churches have been targeted, closed, and harmed forever,” Flanagan said in a statement. “The government must restore and repair what’s been broken.”

CNN’s Andy Rose and Toni Odejimi contributed to this reporting.