{"id":437754,"date":"2026-01-29T23:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T23:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/437754\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T23:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T23:34:11","slug":"homan-says-immigration-drawdown-could-happen-in-minnesota-but-only-after-cooperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/437754\/","title":{"rendered":"Homan says immigration drawdown could happen in Minnesota, but only after \u2018cooperation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 The Trump administration could reduce the number of immigration enforcement<\/a> officers in Minnesota, but only if state and local officials cooperate, the president\u2019s border czar said Thursday, noting he has \u201czero tolerance\u201d for protesters who assault federal officers or impede the ongoing Twin Cities operation.<\/p>\n

Tom Homan addressed reporters for the first time since the president sent him to Minneapolis following last weekend\u2019s fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti<\/a>, the second this month<\/a> by federal officers carrying out the operation. His comments came after President Donald Trump seemed to signal a willingness to ease tensions in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area and as the administration ended its \u201cenhanced operations\u201d in Maine<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Homan, who said he wouldn\u2019t address the shootings, emphasized that the administration isn\u2019t relenting on its immigration crackdown and warned that protesters could face consequences if they interfere with federal officers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Federal<\/p>\n

Federal agents try to clear demonstrators near a hotel, using tear gas during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray)<\/p>\n

Federal agents try to clear demonstrators near a hotel, using tear gas during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray)<\/p>\n

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But he seemed to acknowledge there had been missteps. <\/p>\n

\u201cI do not want to hear that everything that\u2019s been done here has been perfect. Nothing\u2019s ever perfect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A possible downsizing<\/p>\n

Homan hinted at the prospect of pulling out many of the roughly 3,000 federal officers taking part in the operation, but he seemed to tie that to cooperation from state and local leaders and a reduction in protester interference.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A pair of volunteer observers patrol south Minneapolis neighborhoods Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026, looking for signs of activity by federal immigration officers. (AP Photo\/Tim Sullivan)<\/p>\n

A pair of volunteer observers patrol south Minneapolis neighborhoods Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026, looking for signs of activity by federal immigration officers. (AP Photo\/Tim Sullivan)<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe drawdown is going to happen based on these agreements,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the drawdown can happen even more if the hateful rhetoric and the impediment and interference will stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also said he would oversee internal changes in federal immigration law enforcement, but he gave few specifics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mission is going to improve because of the changes we\u2019re making internally,\u201d he said. \u201cNo agency organization is perfect. And President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n AP AUDIO: Trump\u2019s border czar suggests a possible drawdown in Minnesota, but only after \u2018cooperation\u2019\n <\/p>\n

AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports on President Trump\u2019s border czar suggesting a drawdown of federal agents in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters in Washington on Thursday he was \u201chopeful\u201d that the number of federal officers in the city would be reduced. He said police would do their jobs but not \u201csomebody else\u2019s,\u201d referring to federal law enforcement.<\/p>\n

Despite Trump softening his rhetoric about Minnesota officials \u2014 he said this week they were on a \u201csimilar wavelength\u201d \u2014 there has been no visible sign of any big changes to the operation. On Thursday, as the Justice Department charged a man accused of squirting vinegar<\/a> on Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a smattering of protesters braved the frigid temperatures to demonstrate outside of the federal facility that has been serving as the operation\u2019s main hub.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People hold up photos during a vigil for Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo\/John Locher)<\/p>\n

People hold up photos during a vigil for Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo\/John Locher)<\/p>\n

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Pretti, 37, was fatally shot Saturday<\/a> during a scuffle with the Border Patrol. Earlier this month, 37-year-old Renee Good<\/a> was shot in her vehicle by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.<\/p>\n

A plea for cooperation<\/p>\n

Homan doubled down on the need for jails to alert ICE to inmates who could be deported, saying transferring such inmates to the agency is safer because it means fewer officers have to be out looking for people in the country illegally. <\/p>\n

The White House has long blamed problems arresting criminal immigrants on so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, a term generally applied to state and local governments that limit law enforcement cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n

Homan reiterated that, saying, \u201cGive us access to illegal aliens, public safety threats in the safety and security of a jail.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Minnesota officials say this is already happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt best, DHS fundamentally misunderstands Minnesota\u2019s correctional system,\u201d Paul Schnell, chief of the state Department of Corrections, told reporters last week, pushing back against the federal narrative. \u201cAt worst, it is pure propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n

State prisons, he noted, always honor \u201cdetainers,\u201d or federal requests to hold an arrested immigrant until agents can take custody of them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People participate during a noise demonstration outside the Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis hotel on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray)<\/p>\n

People participate during a noise demonstration outside the Graduate by Hilton Minneapolis hotel on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray)<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis occurs every time without exception,\u201d he said, noting that \u201cthe vast majority,\u201d of the state\u2019s county sheriffs also cooperate with immigration authorities about immigrants in their jails.<\/p>\n

Some do not, including the jails in Hennepin County, which serves Minneapolis, and Ramsey County, which serves St. Paul. However, both do hand over inmates to federal authorities if an arrest warrant has been signed by a judge.<\/p>\n

A targeted approach to arrests<\/p>\n

Homan, whose arrival followed the departure<\/a> of the Trump administration\u2019s on-the-ground leader of the operation, Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, also seemed to suggest a renewed focus on what ICE calls \u201ctargeted operations\u201d focused on apprehending immigrants who have committed crimes. He said the agency would conduct \u201ctargeted strategic enforcement operations\u201d prioritizing \u201cpublic safety threats.\u201d<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen whether ICE\u2019s renewed focus on \u201ctargeted operations\u201d might reduce tensions.<\/p>\n

ICE and Homan have long said the Trump administration\u2019s primary focus is to arrest people in the country illegally who have a criminal history or pose a threat to public safety. But they acknowledge they\u2019ll also arrest anyone else found to be in the U.S. illegally.<\/p>\n

They argue that ICE operations target specific people, as opposed to carrying out indiscriminate raids where officers round up everyone and demand their papers.<\/p>\n

Sameera Hafiz, policy director with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said Homan\u2019s comments seemed to reflect a recognition that public opinion has turned against ICE, but she questioned his argument that carrying out targeted operations would make the country safer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis comments still seem to be based on the false premise that deporting people or deportation will make our community safer,\u201d she said. \u201cAll the evidence and data has shown that deportations don\u2019t make our communities safer. They destabilize families, they tear communities apart, they hurt our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Homan didn\u2019t give a specific timeline for how long he would stay in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m staying until the problem\u2019s gone,\u201d he said, adding that he has met with community, law enforcement and elected leaders in the hopes of finding common ground and suggested that he\u2019s made some progress.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Santana reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis, Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, and Steven Sloan in Washington contributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MINNEAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 The Trump administration could reduce the number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota, but only…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[203372,23,1927,12,793,139325,694,790,23865,16950,6429,196794,6661,3,206772,111,2825,3775,3766,191965,200479,4382,29207,3770,6148,795,21,792,19,22,20,25,24,800],"class_list":["post-437754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-alex-pretti","tag-america","tag-ap-top-news","tag-donald-trump","tag-general-news","tag-greg-bovino","tag-homicide","tag-immigration","tag-jacob-frey","tag-minneapolis","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-ice-crackdown","tag-mn-state-wire","tag-news","tag-paul-schnell","tag-politics","tag-prisons","tag-protests-and-demonstrations","tag-race-and-ethnicity","tag-renee-good","tag-send-to-apple-news","tag-shootings","tag-tom-homan","tag-u-s-department-of-homeland-security","tag-u-s-immigration-and-customs-enforcement","tag-u-s-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-government","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-washington-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}