ICE Has Not Released The Taxpayer Cost Of Its Twin Cities Operation, So A County Commissioner Did The Math

TWIN CITIES, MN — As massive federal immigration enforcement continues across the Twin Cities, a Dakota County commissioner said residents on different sides of the immigration debate are asking the same question: how much the operation costs and who is paying for it.

Dakota County Commissioner Joe Atkins said he was asked repeatedly about the financial impact of the ICE enforcement effort often referred to by federal officials as Operation Metro Surge, which has drawn heightened public attention following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent earlier last week.

“I didn’t know the answer at first — but it was a fair question. So I went looking,” Atkins wrote. He said he was unable to find any official public cost estimate.

Using publicly available federal salary and travel data, Atkins said he attempted to calculate the cost himself, relying on what he described as the most conservative assumptions possible.

“Using the most conservative assumptions possible — for example, assuming every one of the roughly 2,000 ICE officers on the ground here is in their first year of employment and earning the lowest allowable salary — the cost to taxpayers comes out to: ABOUT $786,000 PER DAY,” Atkins wrote.

He said the estimate includes payroll and standard travel and per-diem costs but does not capture the full scope of the operation’s expenses.

That figure includes payroll and standard travel/per-diem costs. It does not include flights, detention costs, vehicles, or administrative overhead.

"So it’s a floor, not a ceiling," Atkins wrote.

Federal officials have described Operation Metro Surge as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out by the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS has reported making more than 400 arrests as part of the operation, with 22 individuals identified as having violent criminal histories. The agency has not provided additional details about the remaining arrests or a public breakdown of costs.

Atkins said he shared the estimate not to argue immigration policy, but to provide transparency around government spending.

“I’m sharing this because two people on opposite sides of the immigration issue asked the same question — and because everyone appreciates transparency in government, particularly when it comes to taxes, spending, and public safety,” he wrote. “I recognize there are disagreements about policy — but the cost is something we should all understand.”

Patch has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment and will update this story if a response is provided.

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