Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.
DHS/ICE arrest records and summary statistics verify a cumulative total exceeding 10,000 arrests of noncitizens classified by the agency as criminal illegal aliens.
The DHS press release from Jan. 19, 2026 quotes Secretary Kristi Noem saying “We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens … in Minneapolis.” That exact claim appears on DHS.gov, so DHS (via the Secretary) did say it. However, DHS/ICE’s operational materials published the specific tally for the Minneapolis operation as 3,000 arrests during Operation Metro Surge, and ICE’s public statistics do not corroborate a separate, verifiable 10,000-arrest total for Minneapolis; the 10,000 figure is a statement by the Secretary rather than a documented ICE dataset. Verdict: True — DHS (Secretary Noem, in an official DHS press release) made this claim, but it is not supported by the specific ICE numbers published in the same release and by ICE’s public statistics.