Cost of ICE

1.5 min read

Minneapolis Police announced they paid $3 Million in overtime for officers. After the beginning of the year, all time off had been canceled for officers in order to address the surge of ICE activities and unrest.

All of this government activity takes money that wasn’t previously allocated. Let’s explore the costs incurred throughout this operation.

Local

MPD announced on January 22nd that they have spent $3 Million on officer overtime in just 12 days. Minneapolis is paying $250,000 per day during ICE operations in just police overtime.

But this isn’t just a Minneapolis issue. NorthStar Policy Action estimates that all Minnesota police departments collectively are paying $3 Million per week while ICE operations are occurring.

State

National Guard. $647 a day is how much the US Senate Armed Services Committee calculated it costs for a single National Guard member to be deployed in the wake of the LA deployment.

Exact numbers of guard members deployed have not been revealed due to operational security. During the trial of Derek Chauvin, 3,000 to 3,500 were deployed, and the cost was estimated to be $25 Million total.

Let’s say 3,000 Guard members have been deployed as of now; it would mean the ICE operations are costing Minnesota taxpayers $1.9 Million a day for National Guard deployment.

SEOC. During any crisis, the State of Minnesota will launch what is known as the State Emergency Operations Center. Think of the SEOC as the brain for any government response during large crises such as the Southern MN flooding, the Minneapolis bridge collapse, or George Floyd.

These centers are staffed almost 24/7 by highly-paid professionals from the state government. The increased cost to keep this center running is not widely shared but easily ranges into the millions.

Federal

$110 - $150 Billion. This is how much has been allocated in the Big Beautiful bill for a one-time allocation to boost federal immigration activity. This was in addition to an already large budget for DHS. Another $45 Billion was allocated for detention centers.

$7,065. That’s the average cost of holding a detainee for the 47 days. 47 is also the time a detainee stays before they are deported.

What’s Next?

Minneapolis Police had already received flak this past year during the city’s budgeting process for being $20 Million over budget due to overtime. Minneapolis City Councilors will now need to decide how to account for this dramatic increase in costs for just under two weeks. Expect a debate on Minneapolis Police actions during ICE operation in December of 2026.

The State of Minnesota has a roughly $2.5 Billion budget surplus. While many might expect lawmakers to take from this account, don’t think so fast. The budget forecasts expect a budget deficit in the upcoming years, even if this surplus remains untouched. Expect conversation to use some of these funds to help with business relief, but not local government relief.

Some comments from Governor Walz have suggested he will bill the federal government for costs incurred from ICE operations. Mayor Frey has made no indication whether he plans to do as much. A promise for repayment is far from being seen.