The Trump administration will end the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to thousands of arrests, violent protests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens over the past two months, border czar Tom Homan said Thursday.

The operation called the Department of Homeland Security's "largest immigration enforcement operation ever" has been a flashpoint in the debate over President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts, flaring up after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul area resulted in more than 4,000 arrests, Homan said, touting it a success.

"The surge is leaving Minnesota safer," he said. "I'll say it again, it's less of a sanctuary state for criminals."

The announcement marks a significant retreat from an operation that has become a major distraction for the Trump administration and has been more volatile than prior crackdowns in Chicago and Los Angeles. It comes as a new AP-NORC poll found that most U.S. adults say Trump's immigration policies have gone too far.