analysis
The American president has responded, somewhat belatedly, to criticism of the immigration authorities’ paramilitary deployment. What does this have to do with the election year 2026?
02/13/2026, 09:3702/13/2026, 09:37
renzo ruf, washington / ch media
Sometimes Donald Trump behaves like a normal politician: If the resistance to one of his ideas becomes too great, the American president gives in.
Tom Homan, a confidant of President Donald Trump, announced the end of “Operation Metro Surge” on Thursday.Image: keystone
That’s what happened on Thursday. Tom Homan, a close ally of Trump, announced at a press conference the end of the large-scale operation by the police authorities ICE and CBP in the greater Minneapolis area. The hundreds of (masked) migration police officers would be withdrawn as early as next week, said Homan; The unprecedented “Operation Metro Surge”, in which up to 3,000 agents were temporarily involved, will then be history.
Homan called the operation a success because the people of Minneapolis can now live a safe life after a reported 4,000 arrests and arrests of criminal aliens. But very few people who live in the metropolis will agree with him. Rather, over the past two or three months, residents of the neighboring cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have felt as if they were under siege – by masked, armed federal police officers who gave the impression that they were at war against their own people.
In the often chaotic and sometimes illegal demonstrations against this brutal operation, two people — American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti — lost their lives. They were shot by federal police.
Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot by ICE agents.Image: FR172324 AP
Republicans are distancing themselves from Trump
Good and Pretti’s deaths were preventable. Looking back, however, it becomes clear that these bloody deeds shook up the entire country. “They think they can wear us down,” said the mayor of Minneapolis, speaking on behalf of many US residents. “But the determination to persevere can outlast an occupation.”
Of course, most Americans believe that foreign criminals should be deported as quickly as possible. Opinion polls show this again and again. In principle, a majority of the population supports the work of official agencies such as ICE or CBP – as long as this is not directed against innocent immigrants. But if a neighbor is shot because she allegedly blocked a street with her car, then many Americans’ understanding stops.
Masked and armed federal police officers arrested a protester in Minneapolis in late January.Image: keystone
It’s not just Democrats who think this way. But also many Republicans in Washington. In contrast to Trump’s left-wing opponents, party members rarely criticize the president in public – Trump is not known for responding favorably to publicly expressed objections.
But that doesn’t mean that the Republicans are ready to go with him through thick and thin. Many of Trump’s party friends are now questioning the administration of Security Minister Kristi Noem – who ultimately owes her job solely to the president.
2026 is an election year in the USA. And as long as the country is a democracy, left and right politicians will be guided by popular sentiment to get elected. Donald Trump as a person doesn’t change that. (aargauerzeitung.ch)