Trump Admin Says It Will Pull 700 Immigration Agents Out Of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota after state and local officials agreed to cooperate by turning over arrested immigrants, Border Czar Tom Homan said Wednesday.

About 700 of the roughly 3,000 federal officers deployed around Minnesota will be withdrawn, Homan said.

The immigration operations have disrupted daily life across the Twin Cities, stoking fear among families, school communities, and immigrant business owners, and intensifying protests after the fatal shooting of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis.

"Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration, and as a result of the need for less public safety officers to do this work and a safer environment, I am announcing, effective immediately, we’ll draw down 700 people effective today — 700 law enforcement personnel," Homan said during a news conference.

Homan said last week that federal officials could reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota, but only if state and local officials cooperate. His comments came after President Donald Trump seemed to signal a willingness to ease tensions in Minnesota.

Homan pushed 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.

The White House has long blamed problems arresting criminal immigrants on places known as sanctuary jurisdictions, a term generally applied to state and local governments that limit law enforcement cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security.

Minnesota officials have disputed federal claims that the state refuses to cooperate with immigration enforcement.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections says it routinely honors ICE detainers and coordinates scheduled custody transfers. Last month, DOC said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security mischaracterized at least 68 routine prison handoffs as new federal "arrests," a narrative state officials say has been used to justify the expanded federal presence in Minnesota communities.

While cooperation varies by county and some local sheriffs limit ICE access to jails based on local policy and legal constraints, Minnesota is not a formal sanctuary state, and corrections officials say claims that the state systematically blocks federal custody transfers misrepresent how immigration enforcement actually operates on the ground.

When questioned, Homan said he thinks the ICE operation in Minnesota has been a success.

“Yeah, I just listed a bunch of people we took off the streets of the Twin Cities, so I think it's very effective as far as public safety goes,” Homan said.

“Was it a perfect operation? No. No. We created one unified chain of command to make sure everybody is on the same page. And make sure we follow the rules. I don’t think anybody, purposely, didn’t do something they should have done."

Also read:

Minnesota Leaders Ask Feds How Many Kids Have Been Taken By ICE

MN Sheriffs, Homan Nearing Plan For Drawdown On Immigration Authorities: Report

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.