Border czar to pull 700 agents from Minnesota, citing ‘unprecedented’ cooperation

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — Border czar Tom Homan announced at a Wednesday news conference that 700 federal immigration agents would immediately leave Minneapolis thanks to "unprecedented" cooperation with state and local officials over access to jails and prisons.

Homan said the collaboration, along with the creation of a unified chain of command, meant hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection agents would leave "Operation Metro Surge."

That leaves around 2,000 agents still on duty, as enforcement operations and protests have shaken the Twin Cities, especially after officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in January.

Homan has requested local jails and state prisons alert federal agencies when they release criminal offenders who could face deportation. He added that Minneapolis Chief of Police Brian O'Hara and numerous sheriffs across the state have agreed to work with ICE and Border Patrol to locate targeted violent criminals and tone down rhetoric.

"We're not asking anyone to be an immigration officer, we are not asking any state or local official to do immigration enforcement activity," he said.

Homan said his goal is to get back to the initial footprint of ICE operations before the surge — meaning 150 federal agents.

Federal agencies are not sacrificing President Donald Trump's immigration agenda, Homan said, but rather seeking a "smarter" approach.

Homan said he has had frank discussions with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and state Attorney General Keith Ellison about the need for public safety and ICE's role in the state.

"My goal was, with the support of President Trump, to achieve a complete drawdown, and end this surge as soon as we can," Homan said. "A complete drawdown is going to depend on continued cooperation of local and state law enforcement, and the decrease of the violence, the rhetoric and the attacks against ICE and Border Patrol," Homan said.

The border czar emphasized it is illegal to "forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate and interfere" with federal law enforcement. Federal agencies have arrested more than 150 people for such behavior, he said.

Homan pointed specifically to reports of protesters setting up roadblocks in the community to try to halt ICE operations.

"You're not going to stop ICE, you're not going to stop Border Patrol. The only thing you're doing is irritating your community who want to go get groceries or pick the children up," he said.

Walz, Frey, and other state and local leaders have urged protests to remain peaceful, while celebrating Minnesotans making their voices heard by expressing their constitutional rights.

Homan reiterated that while anyone in the country illegally could be detained, the agencies' focus is targeted enforcement operations against violent criminal offenders.

"Prioritization doesn't mean you forget about everybody else," he said.

Homan arrived in Minnesota last week, replacing Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, after tensions in Minneapolis rose to a fever pitch following federal officers' fatal shooting of U.S. citizen and protester Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.

In his initial news conference Thursday, Homan said the Minnesota operation had not been carried out perfectly, vowing to lead a "smarter" enforcement approach.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday every federal agent in Minneapolis will now be equipped with a body-worn camera.

"That inconsistency was unacceptable," Homan said. "We moved immediately to prioritize body camera usage in the city."

Walz said in a post on X that the move should have been made "long before they [federal agents] killed two Americans."

Homan's announcement of a reduced number of agents in the Twin Cities comes days after a federal judge in Minnesota rejected an attempt by state and city leaders to halt the ongoing enforcement surge.