US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Monday that her department had arrested over 10,000 migrants in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as part of an ongoing crackdown on immigration.
"We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis," Noem said in a statement.
Noem blamed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for what she called a failure to protect residents, accusing them instead of protecting "criminals".
Over the past six weeks, Noem said, law enforcement officials had arrested 3,000 migrants.
Minneapolis has become a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good on January 7.
An American mother, Good's killing sparked widespread public and political backlash, as well as demands for investigations at the local, state and federal levels.
