Homan says he'll reduce federal force in Minnesota if local officials cooperate
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White House “border czar” Tom Homan said Thursday that plans to reduce the massive force of federal immigration agents in Minnesota are in the works and would go forward if he sees adequate cooperation from local officials.
In his first news conference since arriving in Minnesota earlier in the week, in the wake of the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis, Homan stressed his positive conversations with local and state leaders.
"There is much more we can do. I am going to continue those dialogues and I have many more community leaders to talk to, and I have many more sheriffs to meet,” Homan said. “President Trump wants this fixed. And I’m going to fix it — with your help."
Homan said he is looking to reduce number of federal agents in Minnesota — currently around 3,000 — but gave no formal timeline. He pinned the force reduction decision to getting more cooperation from state and local officials, including getting more access to county jails.
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He said more cooperation from local and state officials to detain people who are in the country unlawfully as they finish prison or jail terms — rather than looking for them on the street — would reduce the number of agents needed, and improve safety.
He also said some police chiefs he’s spoken with have committed to “responding to 911 calls when protesters turn violent (and) agents are in a dangerous situation. ... Not to enforce immigration law, but to keep the peace.”
Homan said there will be “zero tolerance” for violence during protests, and that anyone interfering with or assaulting ICE officers will be arrested.
"My main focus now is drawdown based on great cooperation I have had with your state and local leaders," Homan said.
Homan emphasized that he is in Minnesota to seek solutions, acknowledging that there have been problems with the ongoing surge of federal agents.
“I’m not here because the federal government has carried its mission out perfectly,” he told reporters.
But he also stressed that federal immigration officials are not abandoning their operation. He said there will be a renewed focus on “targeted enforcement operations” — something he said federal agents may have gotten away from in recent weeks.
“We are not surrendering our mission at all,” Homan said. “We are just doing it smarter.”
The tone of Thursday’s press conference differed from earlier, more confrontational ones involving the official Homan replaced — Border Patrol commander at large Gregory Bovino. Homan wore a suit Thursday instead of a uniform.
Homan has been meeting with local and state officials the past few days — including Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Those officials have also characterized the conversations as productive.
But amid those talks, the federal operation continues.
City council members in Minneapolis and St. Paul said Wednesday that they haven’t seen any changes on the ground. Agents are still detaining people in those cities, and there’s still a lot of fear — and not a lot of trust that the shift in tone is really a shift in practice.
“There was a sense of a shared relief and the idea that we could let our guards down,” said Minneapolis City Council member Robin Wonsley told MPR’s Minnesota Now on Wednesday. “But I think a number of us are continuously raising the fact that Trump asked Bovino to leave Minnesota and then literally brought in a replacement and never ordered ICE out of our communities. They are still here.”
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