ICE surge in Minnesota is ending, Border Czar Tom Homan says

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Trump administration will bring an end to the ICE surge in Minnesota after reaching agreements with local authorities, Border Czar Tom Homan announced on Thursday.

ICE surge coming to an end

What we know:

Tom Homan says the White House has already begun drawing down federal officers in Minnesota and the drawdown will continue through next week. The decision to pull out federal officers, Homan says, comes through consultation with President Trump.

Earlier this week, Gov. Walz said he anticipated Homan making a significant drawdown of the ICE surge.

Big picture view:

Homan said the decision was based on new cooperation he's seen from Minnesota and the need for immigration enforcement in other parts of the country.

"We have a lot of work to do across this country to remove public safety risks who shouldn't even be in this country, and to deliver on President Trump's promise for strong border security, mass deportation," said Homan. "Law enforcement officers drawn down from this surge operation will either return to the duty station or be assigned elsewhere to achieve just that." 

By the numbers:

At its peak, there were about 3,000 federal officers in Minnesota between ICE, Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Following the shooting of Alex Pretti, President Trump removed some federal officers. Last week, Tom Homan announced a further drawdown of about 700 officers, bringing the headcount to about 2,000 officers.

Prior to the ICE surge, there were about 80 ICE officers stationed in Minnesota. Last week, Homan indicated Minnesota might not return immediately to that baseline as the White House would keep extra investigators in Minnesota to combat fraud.

'Minnesota is less of a sanctuary state'

What they're saying:

Homan justified the decision by noting significant changes in cooperation with local law enforcement bodies in Minnesota.

"We now have the ability to arrest criminal aliens in the safety and security of jails throughout the state at the time they're being released, like we've done in other states," said Homan. "I've also directed the strategic placement of officers in certain areas throughout the states that respond quickly to sheriffs that want to release somebody and notify us. We need to be nearby so they don't hold them unnecessarily. So we worked on a strategic plan to reassign officers in those key locations. Arresting a public safety threat. And the safety and security of a jail is safer for the alien. It's safer for the officer and safer for the community. I think we all can agree on that."

Homan says the cooperation has made Minnesota "less of a sanctuary state."

"As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals," said Homan. "And we are proud of the public safety threats we have removed from the criminal aliens out of the state."

Walz says Trump admin is trying to ‘save face’

The other side:

Gov. Tim Walz

Speaking Thursday, Gov. Walz splashed some coldwater on Homan's claims of new cooperation between the state and ICE. He says not much has changed.

"The way the State of Minnesota is addressing immigration is exactly the same today as it was three weeks ago or three months ago or three years ago," said Walz. "We've said that we are more than willing, and we understand it's our responsibility, and we support humane rule of law immigration reform."

The governor says that, since Homan took over the operation, there has been better communication between his office and the feds. But he believes what changed to bring the operation to an end is a loss of political capital in the aftermath of the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. He sees claims that Minnesota cooperating more with ICE as the Trump admin trying to "save face" as they pull out of Minnesota.

"It became very clear to the administration, especially after the murders of Renee and Alex and the horrific actions of these agents on the ground that an issue the president saw himself as being strong, certainly politically, has eroded into an albatross around their neck," opined Gov. Walz. "And so I think in my take was they knew they needed to get out of here. But in very Trumpian fashion, they needed to save face."

Minneapolis mayor

In a tweet, Mayor Jacob Frey reacted to the announced, writing: "They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation. These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it’s not just about resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American. This operation has been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses, and now it’s time for a great comeback. We will show the same commitment to our immigrant residents and endurance in this reopening, and I’m hopeful the whole country will stand with us as we move forward."

St. Paul mayor

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her also released a statement expressing skepticism following the crash involving ICE on Wednesday in her city:

"Any announcement of a drawdown or end to Operation Metro Surge must be followed by real action. Last week, we were told ICE would be reducing its presence in Minnesota. Yet yesterday, we witnessed a reckless high-speed chase in a densely populated, heavily visited part of our city—one that, thankfully, did not end in something far worse.

"Regardless of any announced drawdown, we will continue moving forward with our work: setting clear expectations and demanding better for our residents. That’s why today I signed a new ordinance for greater transparency from federal law enforcement.

"Federal law enforcement officers have too often used generic "police" uniforms to obscure their identities and avoid being clearly identified by the agencies they represent. This practice has created confusion, eroded trust, and strained relationships between our community and local law enforcement.

"With this new ordinance, we are establishing clear rules of engagement and insisting on greater transparency from federal authorities. Our residents deserve to know who is operating in their city simply by looking at them. Transparency is essential to accountability—and accountability is essential to protecting the rights and safety of our community."

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