{"id":1401213,"date":"2026-01-29T13:53:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T18:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1401213&preview=true&preview_id=1401213"},"modified":"2026-01-29T15:17:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T20:17:00","slug":"trumps-border-czar-suggests-a-possible-drawdown-in-minnesota-but-only-after-cooperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/01\/29\/trumps-border-czar-suggests-a-possible-drawdown-in-minnesota-but-only-after-cooperation\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s border czar suggests a possible drawdown in Minnesota, but only after \u2018cooperation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By GIOVANNA DELL\u2019ORTO and REBECCA SANTANA The Associated Press<\/p>\n

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 operation in the Twin Cities.<\/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 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

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

Homan hinted at the prospect of drawing down 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

\u201cWhen the violence decreases, we can draw down the resources,\u201d he said. \u201cThe drawdown is going to happen based on these agreements. But 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

Despite Trump softening his rhetoric about Minnesota officials \u2014 he said this week they were on a \u201csimilar wavelength\u201d \u2014 there has been little sign on the ground of any big changes to the operation. On Thursday, 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\n

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

Homan doubled down on the need for jails to alert ICE to inmates who could be deported, saying that transferring such inmates to the agency while they\u2019re still in jail is safer because it means fewer officers have to be out on the streets looking for people who are in the country illegally. ICE has historically relied on cooperation from local and state jails to notify the agency about such inmates.<\/p>\n

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

The border czar also seemed to suggest a renewed focus on what ICE calls \u201ctargeted operations\u201d designed to focus its efforts 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

Homan\u2019s arrival in Minnesota followed the departure<\/a> of the Trump administration\u2019s on-the-ground leader of the operation, Greg Bovino. 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

Operation Metro Surge began in December with scattered arrests, as Trump repeatedly disparaged the state\u2019s large Somali community. But the operation ramped up dramatically after a right-wing influencer\u2019s January report on Minnesota\u2019s sprawling human services fraud scandal, which centers around the Somali community<\/a>.<\/p>\n