Last week, Border Czar Tom Homan went straight into the belly of the beast — Minneapolis — to personally oversee ICE and Border Patrol operations in the Twin Cities. He didn’t hide behind statements or surrogates. He showed up, laid out the mission, and made it clear that federal law is going to be enforced.
After holding a press conference during that visit, Homan returned to the podium again today — and his message didn’t change.
The solution is simple: cooperation.
Homan reiterated that the most effective way to remove illegal immigrants — especially those with criminal records — is through coordination between local law enforcement, state officials, and federal authorities. When local jails and detention centers cooperate, ICE can do its job cleanly, efficiently, and without large-scale street operations that put everyone at risk.
“This coordination makes it far safer for the Twin Cities,” Homan said.
“The state prisons already cooperate with ICE on this coordinated transfer of custody, and we thank them for this partnership,” Homan said. He added they’re not requiring jails to hold criminals past their normal hold times.
“They are merely notifying us before they release them,” Homan added. “Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration,” Homan continued, “I have announced, effective immediately, they will draw down 700 people.”
That will leave about 2,000 federal agents remaining in the city:
Homan also announced that there would be a single chain of command in Minneapolis, and that ICE would continue its targeted immigration enforcement operations.
“I want to be clear, just because you prioritize public safety threats doesn’t mean you forget about everybody else. We will continue enforcing immigration laws in this country,” Homan said.
A unified joint operation center has been established, Homan said, to “effectively target threats” and reduce personnel footprint.
Homan also brought up the issue of body-worn cameras in his remarks. “Some officers and agents have them, some didn’t,” he stated, deeming this situation unacceptable. He pointed out that they are taking steps to roll out body-worn cameras in the city, with a vision to implement this initiative nationwide. Homan mentioned that the spending bill includes $20 million to support the deployment of these cameras.
“We have nothing to hide. We want to be fully transparent in all we do,” Homan said. “This is smarter enforcement, not less enforcement. If you’re in the country illegally, you’re not off the table. President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this administration.”
He went on to say that rumors the administration was backing down or backing off are just not true. “My goal was, with the support of President Trump, to achieve a complete drawdown and end this surge as soon as we can,” Homan said, adding that’s contingent on the safety of officers and the behavior of anti-ICE protesters, calling their behavior “lawless.”
He also added that the drawdown is contigent on the amount of support ICE gets from local and state law enforcement.
“Doxxing law enforcement to threaten them and their families,” Homan said, “is unacceptable.”
He also addressed the roadblocks. “You’re not going to stop ICE. You’re not going to stop Border Patrol. The only thing you’re doing is irritating your community,” Homan said, noting further that the Chief of Police has promised swift action on those illegal roadblocks.
In Minneapolis, Homan made it clear — again — that the Trump administration isn’t backing down. Enforcement is happening. The only question left is whether local leaders will finally do the responsible thing, or keep protecting ideology at the expense of public safety.