Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is demanding the federal government «pay for what they broke» after the Trump administration announced it would draw down its immigration enforcement presence in the Twin Cities.

During a news conference after Border Czar Tom Homan’s announcement that the administration would be ending its Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, Walz said federal law enforcement’s presence in the state was leaving «deep damage» and «generational trauma.»

«The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here,» said Walz. «There [is] going to be accountability on the things that happened, but one of the things is the incredible and immense costs that were borne by the people of this state. The federal government needs to be responsible. You don’t get to break things and then just leave without doing something about it.

«So, we’re going to be asking the federal delegation to be investing and doing the things necessary.»

TRUMP DHS HAMMERS DEM GOVERNOR’S PORTAL TO TRACK ICE AGENTS: ‘ENCOURAGES VIOLENCE’

Walz, best known for being former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election, has been at odds with the administration throughout much of the operation, which was meant to crack down on rampant fraud and abuse in the state.

Regarding the federal drawdown, Walz said, «We are cautiously optimistic … that this surge of untrained, aggressive federal agents are going to leave Minnesota, and I guess they’ll go wherever they’re going to go.

«The fact of the matter is they left us with deep damage, generational trauma. They left us with economic ruin in some cases. 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 and Alex?

«So, while the federal government may move on to whatever next thing that they want to do, the State of Minnesota and our administration is unwaveringly focused on the recovery of what they did.»

HOUSE DEM EXPLODES ON TOP TRUMP IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, SAYS HE ‘BETTER HOPE’ FOR PARDON FROM PRESIDENT

Anti-ICE protesters gathered in Minnesota Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Homan announced Thursday that the administration will conclude Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota. Homan told reporters during a news conference at the Bishop Whipple Federal in Minneapolis that the operation succeeded in reducing public safety threats with «unprecedented levels of coordination» from state officials and local law enforcement.

«As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,» Homan said. «I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude.»

Homan said «a significant drawdown» of immigration agents was already underway and will continue through next week.

The border czar announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota, though 2,000 officers will remain. He cited improved cooperation with jails and said a complete drawdown was the goal, but it was «contingent upon the end of illegal and threatening activities against ICE.»

ICE ARRESTS MURDERERS, PEDOPHILES DURING SUPER BOWL WEEKEND AS AGENTS SAY HALFTIME SHOW ‘DEMONIZED’ THEM

White House border czar Tom Homan speaks during a news conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis Feb. 4, 2026.  (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

He said only a «small footprint of personnel» will remain for a period of time, while he will also remain on the ground to oversee the operation’s drawdown and success.

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«Additionally, federal government personnel assigned to conduct criminal investigations into the agitators, as well as the personnel assigned here for the fraud investigations, will remain in place until the work is done,» Homan said.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday asked a court to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two Palestinian men convicted of terrorism offenses.

The effort appears to be the first use of a law enacted three years ago allowing the revocation of citizenship and subsequent deportation of Palestinian citizens who were convicted of certain violent crimes such as terrorism and received financial support from the Palestinian Authority as a reward.

Netanyahu filed court documents arguing that the severity of the crimes, along with payments the men reportedly received from a Palestinian Authority fund, justify pulling their citizenship and expelling them from the Jewish State.

The prime minister has long claimed the fund rewards violence, including attacks on civilians.

TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD ‘ABSOLUTELY’ REVOKE CITIZENSHIP FROM NATURALIZED CRIMINALS — IF HE HAS THE AUTHORITY

But Palestinian officials have contended that it is a safety net for the broad cross‑section of society with family members in Israeli detention. They also accused Netanyahu of focusing on the relatively small number of beneficiaries who carried out the attacks.

When the law passed, critics argued that it allowed Israel’s legal system to treat Jewish and Palestinian people differently. Civil rights groups said that basing a deportation law on Palestinian Authority payments effectively excluded Jewish Israelis, including settlers convicted of attacks against Palestinians, from the threat of losing their citizenship, as the statute targeted people of a certain race.

Netanyahu said this week that the government launched proceedings against the two men and that similar cases would be brought in the future.

TRUMP MEETS NETANYAHU, SAYS HE WANTS IRAN DEAL BUT REMINDS TEHRAN OF ‘MIDNIGHT HAMMER’ OPERATION

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked a court to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two Palestinian men convicted of terrorism offenses. (YAIR SAGI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli officials said Mohamad Ahmad, a citizen from Jerusalem, was convicted of «offenses that constitute an act of terrorism and receiving funds in connection with terrorism.» He allegedly received payment after he was sentenced in 2002 for a shooting attack and served 23 years before his release in 2024.

Mohammed Ahmad Hussein al-Halsi was sentenced in 2016 to 18 years behind bars for stabbing elderly women. He also allegedly received payments while in prison.

Ahmad would be deported immediately, while al-Halsi would be removed upon his release, as individuals are subject to removal to Gaza once their sentences are complete under the 2023 law, which applies to citizens or permanent residents convicted of «committing an act that constitutes a breach of loyalty to the State of Israel,» including terrorism.

When the law passed, critics argued that it allowed Israel’s legal system to treat Jewish and Palestinian people differently. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo)

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The general director of Israel’s Adalah legal center, Hassan Jabareen, called the move to use the law «a cynical propaganda move» by Netanyahu. He said stripping citizenship violated the most basic principles of the rule of law, including by acting against people who have completed prison sentences.

«The Israeli government is attempting to strip individuals of the very foundation through which all rights are protected, their nationality,» he said on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

El secretario de Energía estadounidense, Chris Wright, llegó a Venezuela el miércoles para presionar en favor de una revisión más audaz de la industria energética, y con ello deja claro que Estados Unidos podría utilizar su posición de coloso económico para lograr sus objetivos.

Wright es uno de los funcionarios estadounidenses de más alto rango que visita Venezuela en casi 30 años, lo que refleja cómo se están estrechando los lazos entre ambos países después de que las fuerzas estadounidenses capturaron en enero al exlíder de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, y lo trasladaron por la fuerza a Estados Unidos.

Leé también: La presidenta de Venezuela recibió al secretario de Energía de EE.UU. para avanzar con la reforma petrolera

A pesar de que la Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela aprobó el mes pasado cambios radicales en la legislación que regula la industria petrolera, Wright dijo que deseaba que el gobierno venezolano fuera mucho más lejos en la apertura de su economía a las empresas energéticas extranjeras.

“La idea es utilizar la influencia para impulsar el progreso”, declaró Wright a los periodistas en Caracas, la capital, el miércoles. Sobre la nueva ley energética, dijo: “Es un paso significativo en la dirección correcta, probablemente en mi opinión no lo suficientemente lejos y claro como para fomentar los grandes flujos de capital que les gustaría ver”.

Algunos gigantes petroleros estadounidenses, como Exxon Mobil, cuyas operaciones en Venezuela fueron nacionalizadas hace dos décadas, han expresado su escepticismo sobre la posibilidad de volver a Venezuela, con los argumentos de los riesgos legales y la posibilidad de agitación política.

Aunque reconoció que se podría hacer más para atraer inversiones estadounidenses a Venezuela, Wright subrayó que las empresas petroleras internacionales suelen arriesgarse a hacer negocios en países con un historial de agitación porque es allí donde a menudo se encuentra el petróleo. Citó la “avalancha de inversiones” que se espera que llegue a Libia, controlada por dos facciones rivales.

Leé también: Delcy Rodríguez salió al cruce de María Corina Machado: “Cuando vuelva, tendrá que responder ante Venezuela”

Al comienzo de su visita de tres días, Wright se reunió con la sucesora de Maduro, la presidenta Delcy Rodríguez. Dijo que tenía previsto viajar con Rodríguez el jueves para ver de primera mano las operaciones de producción de petróleo.

Wright, exdirector ejecutivo de una empresa petrolera que está en el centro del auge de la fracturación hidráulica en Estados Unidos, valoró muy positivamente la voluntad de Rodríguez de introducir grandes cambios en la economía y el sistema político de Venezuela.

Dijo que Venezuela había realizado importantes esfuerzos para mejorar las condiciones económicas en las semanas transcurridas desde la captura de Maduro, quien presidió un desgarrador colapso económico. Además, Wright dijo que esperaba que Venezuela llegara a una transición hacia un sistema político más representativo.

Wright citó áreas en las que Venezuela podría progresar más para el desmantelamiento de su régimen autoritario y una alineación más estrecha con Estados Unidos, tras décadas de forjar alianzas con países que a menudo estaban enfrentados con Washington.

“Aquí todavía hay presos políticos en las cárceles”, dijo Wright, aludiendo a las cientos de personas que siguen detenidas tras la reciente liberación de otras. “Todavía tienen aquí relaciones con China, con Rusia, con Irán. Son cosas que hay que transicionar”.

La visita de Wright suscitó escepticismo en Caracas. Las fuerzas de seguridad abrieron el camino para que sus numerosos equipos de seguridad y comitiva recorrieran la ciudad, donde los murales siguen celebrando los vínculos de Venezuela con los dirigentes iraníes y cubanos.

Los cambios en Venezuela se están produciendo después de que Estados Unidos montara una campaña militar de meses de duración contra Maduro, que incluyó decenas de ataques mortales contra pequeñas embarcaciones que, según dijo el gobierno de Donald Trump, traficaban con drogas ilícitas. Trump ha advertido a Rodríguez que podría correr una suerte similar a la de Maduro si no coopera con Estados Unidos.

Después de reunirse con Rodríguez, ella y Wright respondieron brevemente a las preguntas de los periodistas fuera del palacio presidencial, una muestra de apertura inusual por parte de la nueva dirigente de Venezuela. Más tarde, Wright se reunió con periodistas extranjeros en el hotel JW Marriott.

“Una prensa libre”, dijo, “es una parte fundamental de una sociedad civil”.

*Simon Romero es corresponsal del Times en México, Centroamérica y el Caribe. Reside en Ciudad de México.