Minnesota Sheriff Whose Office Missed Billions in Fraud Now Attacks ICE (VIDEO)
WATCH: Minnesota Sheriff Whose Office Missed Billions in Fraud Now Attacks ICE
On Friday morning, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt stood before reporters and expressed relief that “Operation Metro Surge” was coming to an end.
She spoke about rebuilding trust and emphasized that her office does not conduct civil immigration enforcement, adding that “nothing has changed” in the county’s policies.
The speech was among the most inflammatory anti-ICE remarks she could have delivered. Operation Metro Surge was a federal enforcement effort launched under the direction of the Trump administration’s border team, including Border Czar Tom Homan, in response to escalating tensions and public safety concerns in Minneapolis and surrounding areas.
The purpose was straightforward: enforce existing federal immigration law and prevent further instability. When violence threatens to spiral out of control, federal authorities have both the power and the obligation to intervene.
Instead of acknowledging that reality, Sheriff Witt framed the operation primarily as a political burden placed on her office. She spoke at length about strained relationships and eroding trust, suggesting that local law enforcement had been forced into difficult positions by federal action.
What she did not do was thank federal officers for stepping in during a volatile moment. She did not acknowledge that ICE enforces statutes written by Congress. She did not recognize that immigration enforcement is a lawful function of the executive branch, not an optional courtesy.
Minnesota has spent the past several years confronting overlapping crises of disorder and fraud. The Feeding Our Future scandal alone involved what federal prosecutors described as a $250 million scheme to exploit taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs.
Additional investigations into Medicaid and autism services fraud revealed systemic vulnerabilities that drained public funds of well over $8 billion and embarrassed state leadership.
These were large-scale criminal operations that flourished under the watch of state and local authorities.
Public safety is not limited to street patrols. It includes institutional competence and, above all, requires proactive enforcement and coordination across agencies.
Yet at the very moment federal officers increased their presence to deter violence and enforce immigration law, the sheriff’s message signaled distance, not partnership.
Witt insisted that her office has not entered into new agreements with ICE and will not conduct civil immigration enforcement. That statement may satisfy activists. It does not reassure residents who expect all levels of government to cooperate in upholding the law.
Local agencies are not required to assume federal responsibilities, but they should not publicly undermine lawful federal operations either.
President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda has always rested on a clear premise: laws must be enforced consistently.
Democrats often portray enforcement as inherently destabilizing. The past decade suggests the opposite.
Weak enforcement fuels confusion, encourages exploitation, and erodes public confidence. Clear enforcement establishes boundaries and restores order.
Sheriff Witt argued that leaders must communicate truthfully and avoid half-truths. That standard applies to her as well.
If Minnesota has become synonymous with billion-dollar fraud scandals and recurring unrest, residents are justified in asking whether local leadership has been sufficiently proactive.
A sheriff who claims that rebuilding trust will be “a long road” must first explain how that trust was lost.
Law enforcement cannot be selective about which laws deserve respect. Deputies are rightly expected to respond when someone runs through a courthouse security checkpoint.
Federal officers are equally justified in executing warrants and enforcing immigration statutes.
Minnesota does not need more press conferences centered on narrative management. Rather, it needs leaders willing to defend lawful enforcement without apology and to confront institutional failures directly.
When federal officers act to prevent disorder, the appropriate response from local officials is partnership.
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