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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Ilhan Omar Proposes Redirecting Nearly $140 Billion From ICE to Communities Harmed by Federal Operations
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 18, 2026). U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar is introducing legislation that would block nearly $140 billion designated for federal immigration enforcement and redirect the money toward state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, schools and businesses affected by large enforcement operations.
The proposal is called the Make ICE Pay Act. It targets funding previously designated for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection under federal budget legislation enacted during President Donald Trump’s second administration.
Omar represents Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, including Minneapolis and several surrounding communities. Her proposal draws directly from the economic and social consequences of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.
The federal operation brought thousands of immigration officers to the Twin Cities beginning in late 2025. It resulted in thousands of arrests, extensive protests, business disruptions and continuing court disputes involving federal conduct.
Omar said the operation cost the Minneapolis community nearly $700 million. That estimate encompasses losses and expenses affecting businesses, local institutions and community organizations.
Under the legislation, redirected money could provide economic relief, reimburse local government expenses, assist schools and nonprofit organizations and fund mental-health and other support for affected residents.
The proposal would also authorize money for investigations, commissions of inquiry, public records, truth-telling initiatives and memorial projects connected to federal immigration operations.
The program would be administered over three years through the inspector general’s office at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The measure faces substantial political obstacles. Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have supported increased immigration-enforcement funding and are unlikely to accept a wholesale transfer of ICE and border resources.
The legislation is nevertheless significant because it moves the debate beyond whether federal enforcement was excessive. It asks whether communities should receive compensation for economic losses, public expenses and institutional disruption attributed to a federal operation.
It also creates a specific congressional proposal through which Minnesota’s experience with Operation Metro Surge could influence national immigration and budget policy.
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