(The Hill) – In a significant move, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed on Monday that thousands of arrests have been made in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as part of the administration’s intensified efforts to address immigration issues.

Noem took to the social platform X to share the news, stating, “PEACE AND PUBLIC SAFETY IN MINNEAPOLIS! We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis,” with a notable 3,000 apprehensions occurring in the past six weeks.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement listing some of the individuals taken into custody, but it stopped short of providing specific information about the nature of these arrests.

Meanwhile, skepticism arose from Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit organization. He questioned the accuracy of Noem’s announcement, suggesting on X that the arrest figures might be “HIGHLY inflated.”

Reichlin-Melnick cautioned, “These numbers VERY likely false. Do not trust them unless independently verified,” urging for a thorough verification of the reported data.

Minneapolis has become a major focus of the national fight over immigration after an ICE officer fatally shot Minnesota woman Renee Good, sparking protests across the country. 

Administration officials have defended the ICE officer, alleging Good was impeding law enforcement. Noem has labeled Good’s actions during the incident as “domestic terrorism.” 

A week later, a federal officer shot and injured a Venezuelan migrant during a separate scuffle in Minneapolis, further inflaming tensions. 

Thousands of ICE officers are in the North Star State as part of Trump’s pledge for mass deportations, even as his immigration crackdown faces growing disapproval from voters. 

A New York Times analysis this week estimated that the Trump administration has so far deported 230,000 people arrested inside the country, higher than the total number across former President Biden’s term. Another 270,000 were arrested and deported at the border, and 40,000 signed up to “self-deport.” 

In the X post, Noem also said that Homeland Security investigators were on the ground in Minneapolis amid an ongoing fraud scandal in the state.