President Trump’s border czar says the large federal law-enforcement surge in Minnesota is scaling back, though a presence will remain, the Washington Post reports.
Tom Homan told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have already left the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, with hundreds more set to depart soon, following the formal conclusion of Operation Metro Surge. At its peak, the deployment expanded the local federal presence from roughly 80 to about 3,000 officers, marking the administration’s largest immigration enforcement push to date and one of its most controversial.
Homan said the Department of Homeland Security plans to “return to the original footprint” of agents in Minnesota while maintaining a “small … security force” temporarily to protect officers during operations and protests. He did not give exact numbers for those who will remain but expressed hope they could be withdrawn “fairly quickly.” Some agents will also stay to investigate alleged fraud at Minneapolis child-care centers and the anti-ICE protest at a church service that led to journalist Don Lemon’s arrest, the AP reports.
The drawdown follows an agreement between Homan and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison allowing local jails to work more directly with ICE on immigrants arrested for crimes—a deal Homan called “a win” and encouraged other cities to emulate. When asked if similar large-scale deployments could occur elsewhere, Homan said it “depends on the situation” and reiterated that sanctuary cities should be “flooded” with additional agents.
The Minneapolis operation sparked widespread protests after federal officers shot three people, killing two U.S. citizens: Renée Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse. In response to public backlash and bipartisan criticism of ICE and Border Patrol tactics, the White House replaced Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino with Homan last month. Homan later admitted the mission had not been executed “perfectly” and suggested changes were needed, though he did not provide specifics.
On Sunday, Homan also addressed the controversy over ICE agents wearing masks, telling CBS that while he doesn’t “like the masks,” officers wear them because threats against ICE personnel have surged—assaults are up more than 1,500% and threats over 8,000%. “These men and women have to protect themselves,” he said.