Following weeks of unrest in Minnesota over immigration enforcement in the state, White House border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that he will begin reducing the number of federal agents in the state once state officials follow through on their pledge to begin cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Homan, who was dispatched to Minnesota after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti over the weekend, acknowledged that ICE and Customs and Border Patrol operations in the state had not been conducted “perfectly” and that changes needed to be made — but he also reserved significant criticism for Minnesota Democrats who have prevented federal agents from collecting the targets of enforcement operations in jails and prisons, forcing them to operate in a chaotic environment on the street.
After meeting with Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Attorney General Keith Ellison over the last two days, Homan said he secured a commitment from the Democratic officials to allow county jails in the state notify ICE when they have a criminal illegal alien in custody so that agents can collect the individual in the security of the jail. That change, Homan said, will allow CBP and ICE to reduce the number of agents needed to conduct enforcement operations
“This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down the number of people we have here. Yes, I said it. Draw down the number of people here,” Homan said.
Going forward, Homan said that ICE and CBP plan to focus on “targeted” enforcement actions rather than sweeping patrols, in which agents conduct traffic stops and foot patrols to check the immigration status of individuals they encounter.
“Targeted enforcement operations is the way we’ve always done it and I think we got away from it a little bit,” Homan said.
While Homan touted what he says are commitments from state Democrats to begin assisting ICE, it’s unclear exactly what level of cooperation the agency will receive. Minnesota Democrats have maintained that they’ve always been willing to assist ICE when it comes to violent public safety threats but that they won’t help agents round up individuals whose only crime was entering the country illegally.
"I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers," Frey wrote in a post on social media after meeting with Homan.
"I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe," he added.
President Donald Trump previously said he wants to “de-escalate” the situation in Minnesota. His comment followed the death of Alex Pretti, who was shot by federal agents on January 24.
Homan was sent to Minnesota to take over the operation previously led by Border Patrol Leader Gregory Bovino and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Of Bovino’s approach, the president said, “It wasn’t good here.”
Homan met with Democratic leaders in the state January 27.
“The Governor and Homan agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue and will continue working toward those goals, which the President also agreed to yesterday,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office said in a statement.
“We are not surrendering our mission at all. We are just doing it smarter,” Homan said.
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