Sheriff Dawanna Witt pledged to rebuild public trust and criticized federal officials for spreading false information about her department’s role.
MINNEAPOLIS — Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said Thursday her office has not entered into any agreements with federal immigration authorities, despite claims from some elected officials, and vowed to rebuild community trust damaged during federal immigration operations.
Witt spoke one day after border czar Tom Homan announced the end of the Operation Metro Surge.
“The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office does not conduct any civil immigration enforcement. We will not conduct civil immigration enforcement,” Witt said. “Our policies related to immigration remain unchanged.”
The sheriff said her office operated during the federal operation exactly as it did before, with no new federal agreements despite what “some influential leaders have conveyed.”
“Let me add, and they didn’t call to ask me either,” Witt said.
Witt acknowledged the operation has eroded trust in law enforcement, particularly among communities concerned about immigration enforcement.
“Trust in law enforcement has been shaken, especially for our local authorities,” Witt said. “Rebuilding that trust will fall largely on all of our local law enforcement agencies, and we accept that responsibility.”
The sheriff defended her deputies’ conduct during the operation, saying they were placed in difficult situations without precedent. Deputies worked to prevent harm at locations including the Whipple building, where federal operations were based.
“I credit our deputies with preventing further harm on our community,” Witt said. “We know that our communities were safer in our hands.”
Witt confirmed she met with Homan multiple times during the operation but said those meetings focused on educating federal officials about Minnesota’s history and policies regarding immigration enforcement.
“He’s not from Minnesota. He doesn’t know the history of how ICE or I.N.S. works with our systems here. He didn’t know the politics,” Witt said. “I was very grateful that he would sit down and listen to those things so that he can learn about it.”
The sheriff said she was asked to change policies but declined, prioritizing what she described as the best interests of Hennepin County residents.
Witt sharply criticized elected officials who made claims about her office without contacting her directly, calling for responsible communication from leaders.
“All elected officials have the responsibility to share correct information and to tell the truth,” she said. “And by the way, if you’re not telling the whole truth, it’s still a lie. Make no doubt about it.”
The sheriff said rebuilding trust will require proactive community engagement rather than reactive responses to incidents.
Witt called for statewide consistency in how Minnesota’s 87 counties handle immigration-related requests from federal authorities.
“Why don’t we have a system statewide where all 87 sheriffs are acting off of the same deal?” Witt said.
Witt said her office will continue protecting peaceful protests and acting to prevent violence and property damage.