U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested South African national Jacobus Lodevickus Janse van Rensburg in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 27, 2026, as part of Operation Metro Surge. Launched in December 2025, Operation Metro Surge is a massive federal immigration enforcement initiative centered in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. Described by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the largest operation of its kind in U.S. history, it has resulted in over 3,000 arrests as of late January 2026. The operation has drawn intense criticism due to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renée Good (January 7) and Alex Pretti (January 24), by federal agents during enforcement actions and protests.
• AGGRAVATED ASSAULT W/A WEAPON
• ASSAULT
• DUIJacobus Lodevickus Janse Van Rensburg is a criminal illegal alien from South Africa. pic.twitter.com/W6cLFiIKtU
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) January 27, 2026
In 2025, the Trump administration launched a specific initiative known as Mission South Africa to grant refugee status to white South African minorities, primarily Afrikaners. As of early September 2025, a total of 138 South Africans had officially entered the U.S. through the program.
The USA authorities says Van Rensburg was in the United States unlawfully.
For the 2026 fiscal year (which began October 1, 2025), the administration set a total refugee cap of 7,500, with the “vast majority” of those slots reserved specifically for South African Afrikaners.
Van Rensburg faces criminal charges including aggravated assault with a weapon and driving under the influence,