Border czar Tom Homan has secured deals with Minnesota counties for ICE to take custody of illegal immigrants from jails, leading to the withdrawal of 700 federal agents from the Twin Cities. This move aims to improve efficiency and safety while maintaining the Trump administration's deportation efforts. Homan emphasized targeted arrests focusing on serious criminals.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Tom Homan, the Trump administration's border czar and former ICE chief, announced a significant reduction in federal immigration personnel in Minnesota. Starting that day, 700 immigration officers and agents will depart the Twin Cities area, leaving 2,000 agents in the state along with fraud investigation teams.
This drawdown follows Homan's meetings last week with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and local police chiefs. Homan secured agreements with an "unprecedented number of counties" to allow ICE to assume custody of illegal aliens directly from jails, reducing the need for street arrests.
"We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets, unprecedented cooperation," Homan said. "And I’ll say it again, this is efficient, it requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target rather than eight or ten officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat."
He added, "More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails, means less officers on the street doing criminal operations. This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement. This is safer for the community, safer for the officers, and safer for the alien."
The changes come after President Donald Trump dispatched Homan to Minneapolis last week to replace Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, whose aggressive raids and patrols had drawn criticism. Bovino has returned to leading California's El Centro sector. The leadership shift followed the shooting deaths of two anti-ICE protesters by federal agents.
To avoid further violence, Homan requested local police support against interfering protesters. "Every chief I talked to, every one of them promised to respond to any public safety issue when our officers are out doing their sworn duty and people start crossing the line and they start impeding and interfering," he said.
Additionally, Border Patrol and ICE will operate under a single unified command to streamline operations. Homan clarified that arrests will prioritize the "worst" illegal immigrant criminals but extend to all undocumented individuals. The administration plans to equip Minneapolis immigration officers with body-worn cameras for greater transparency.
James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriffs Association, noted that most sheriffs seek improved ICE communication and support the agent reduction. He described ongoing deals as a "work in progress" that may take weeks or months.
