35,765 Reasons - And the Partial Withdrawal Came Anyway

In the middle of Minneapolis, according to investigations and an internal inventory list, 35,765 pieces of crowd control equipment were on hand. Tear gas. Flash grenades. Pepper spray. Ammunition for dispersing crowds. Not equipment for visa checks, but tools for controlling protests. They had been delivered two weeks earlier, bundled under the title “Munitions List of Equipment Used in Operation Metro Surge.” Intended for a city where, after two fatal shootings by immigration officers of US citizens, the streets were full.

Just last Sunday, the president had declared that he had instructed immigration authorities and border protection to act “very forcefully” in the “protection of federal buildings.” Opponents were described as “crazies, agitators and insurrectionists.” Anyone who continued to “harass” or “attack” officers would face “equal or greater consequences.” The direction was clear. Escalation was in the air. And then the break. Border coordinator Tom Homan announced that 700 federal officers would be withdrawn from Minnesota with immediate effect. One third of the previously deployed forces. In the future there would be a unified chain of command. They would return to “targeted measures.” All deployed officers would be equipped with body cameras. Words that in this situation sound like a correction.

In the days before, it had already become visible that something was shifting. Fewer vehicle convoys. Fewer officers randomly checking passersby. Fewer open confrontations with demonstrators. Even the president distanced himself from the previous operations leader in Minneapolis and said about him that he was “a pretty unhinged guy” and maybe “it was not good here.” Rare tones.

At the same time, another finding remained: 35,765 pieces of equipment were on site. An internal voice from the homeland security sector called it “completely excessive” and said he had never seen such a quantity. The list comes from the parent agency of border protection. The overwhelming portion of the delivered equipment was intended for crowd control. For protests.

Around 2,000 federal officers remain in Minneapolis. Whether the stockpiles are shrinking or merely being relocated is unclear. What is certain is this: the withdrawal of 700 forces is the first visible correction since the beginning of the massive buildup under “Operation Metro Surge.” Only a few days ago, everything appeared headed toward a direct confrontation between federal forces and civil society.

The governor of Minnesota had declared that law enforcement must not become lawless. After the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, tens of thousands filled the streets. They did not march for an abstract slogan, but because of specific gunshots. The government had armed up. The public stood its ground.

Politicians in Washington will sell the withdrawal as their own decision. They will speak of “reassessment,” “realignment” and “changed priorities,” as if the course correction had long been planned. Commentators in studios will frame it as a tactical adjustment, as a flexible response to a dynamic situation. But the chronology cannot be rewritten. First came the massive protests and the reporting of journalists on the streets, which grew over days, organized by local initiatives, carried by students, unions, communities. Then came the correction. Not the other way around.

The only way to help victims immediately is to stay on it. Follow ICE, accompany operations on site, document every action, record every measure and react in real time. Not comment from a distance, but be present.

It was not press conferences that created the pressure, but people on the ground. Demonstrators who stayed despite police lines. Families who showed their faces. Journalists and activists who documented, filmed, gathered names. Dozens of them were injured during operations - struck by tear gas, pushed back by state force, detained despite clearly visible press identification. Some required medical treatment, others continued reporting later that same night. Without their images, without their reports, the political narrative would have prevailed unchecked.

The withdrawal came only when public attention showed no sign of fading. When national and international media engaged. When videos were shared millions of times. When it became clear that the issue could not be contained locally. The decision was not made in a vacuum, but under visible pressure. Anyone now speaking of a “voluntary adjustment” ignores this dynamic. The sequence remains: protest, reporting, injuries - then the withdrawal.

The state had prepared for a confrontation. The public responded with pressure. 700 fewer officers are not the end, and not every show of force goes without consequence.