Border czar Tom Homan said he would draw down the number of federal immigration agents in Minnesota during a press conference Thursday, but he offered few details on timing, numbers or what would happen next.
Homan said in his first public remarks leading the Minnesota operation that the plan to scale down the deportation surge would depend on agreements to detain immigrants in county jails upon their release.
“The drawdown will come soon, depending on when I see this in play,” Homan said.
He did, however, suggest some change in tactics on the ground.
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“Target enforcement operations: We’ve always done it. I think we got away from a bit,” he said.
President Donald Trump dispatched Homan to de-escalate tensions and take over “Operation Metro Surge” from Greg Bovino following Border Patrol agents’ fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday.
“I do not want to hear that everything that’s been done here has been perfect,” Homan said. “Nothing’s ever perfect, and anything can be improved on, and what we’ve been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book.
“The mission is going to improve because of the changes we’re making internally.”
Since arriving in Minnesota on Monday, Homan has met with Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other law enforcement officials in conversations that he described as meaningful.
“I’m staying until the problem is gone,” Homan said.
Ellison said Thursday afternoon that he didn’t make any agreements with Homan about how the state’s sheriffs share information with ICE. However, he said state law requires county jails and state prisons to notify federal immigration authorities when they’re in custody of an immigrant without legal status who is convicted of a felony or is found to be mentally ill.
“I did not negotiate with Mr. Homan, come to any agreement, or offer any compromise on the goal of keeping Minnesotans safe. I raised with him directly the rage Minnesotans feel at the unconstitutional tactics federal immigration agents have been using in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and elsewhere in our state,” Ellison said in a statement.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been directed to avoid communicating and engaging with “agitators” following Pretti’s death, a development first reported by Reuters.
Walz’s office didn’t provide any details about the agreements Homan mentioned in his press conference.
“As the Governor has said, we need a drawdown in federal forces, impartial [Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension] investigations, and an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota,” his office said.
Marcos Charles, who’s in charge of ICE’s enforcement and removal operations, and Rodney Scott, Customs and Border Protection commissioner, joined Homan at the press conference.
Moving forward, Homan said the federal agents would focus on finding and detaining immigrants based on information the administration has rather than questioning people about their immigration status on the street.
Trump has emphasized the demand for the state to turn over criminals to reduce the number of agents in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Department of Corrections, which only operates state prisons, turns over people ICE requests for deportation, according to that agency. Nine counties in the state have active agreements to work with immigration agents, according to ICE’s database.
The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly stated that ICE wants to detain 1,360 immigrants in jails. The state’s DOC has pushed back on that claim, stating that there are 94 people in county jails and 207 people in state prisons with ICE detainers.
Frey’s statement after his meeting with Homan Tuesday, reiterating that Minneapolis wouldn’t enforce federal immigration laws, drew Trump’s ire.
“Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE,” Trump wrote on a Truth Social post.
This article has been updated with comments from the offices of the governor and attorney general.
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