White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced that the Trump administration will begin drawing down 700 federal immigration agents from Minnesota, citing improved cooperation between local and federal authorities in handling illegal immigration cases.
Speaking at a press conference in Minneapolis, Homan said the reduction marks a shift toward “smarter enforcement,” as local counties have begun honoring more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers for illegal immigrant prisoners held in county jails. Those detainers request local facilities to notify federal authorities before releasing an illegal immigrant, allowing ICE to assume custody for deportation.
“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets,” Homan said. “Unprecedented cooperation. Now say it again — this is efficient. It requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target rather than eight or ten officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat.”
“This frees up more officers to arrest or remove criminal aliens,” Homan continued. “More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails means fewer officers on the street doing criminal operations. This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement. It’s safer for the community, safer for the officers, and safer for the alien. This coordination also makes it far more safe for the Twin Cities.”
According to Homan, the decision will not affect agents responsible for protecting DHS personnel or providing operational security during enforcement actions. “We’re not scaling back on protection,” he said. “We’re scaling up on efficiency.”
Homan said that since the federal immigration surge began in Minneapolis, federal officers have arrested 14 individuals with homicide convictions, 87 with sex-related offenses, 28 gang members, and 139 with assault convictions.
“Everyone has a constitutional right to peacefully protest,” he said. “President Trump and I completely support that. At the same time, professional law enforcement officers should and need to be able to perform their sworn duties without being harassed, impeded, or assaulted.”
The administration’s drawdown is being viewed as an attempt to normalize operations in Minnesota following weeks of unrest. Federal officials have described the initial surge of agents as necessary to combat violent crime and enforce immigration laws amid what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called a “severe public safety breakdown.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey both praised Homan’s announcement on X, calling it “a step in the right direction.”
Homan’s remarks coincided with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to require all Homeland Security agents in Minneapolis — including ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — to wear body-worn cameras. “Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,” Noem wrote on X. “As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide.”
The rollout follows growing bipartisan calls for accountability after the recent shootings. Democrats in the Senate have demanded new limits on immigration enforcement as part of negotiations over long-term funding for DHS.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats are seeking “an end to roving patrols” by ICE agents, tighter restrictions on warrants, and greater accountability. “Federal agents should be held to the same use-of-force policies that apply to state and local law enforcement and be held accountable when they violate those rules,” Schumer said last week.
Also, last week, a federal judge rejected Minnesota’s attempt to force immigration agents to leave the city. In her Jan. 31 ruling, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez denied the request, writing that the plaintiffs had “not met their burden” to justify blocking the federal operations.
The Trump administration has insisted the federal presence in Minnesota remains temporary, with Homan emphasizing that the pace of the drawdown will depend on continued cooperation from local officials and reduced hostility toward federal agents.
“If counties keep working with us the way they are now,” Homan said, “we can keep the streets safer, protect the rule of law, and send these officers home sooner.”