White House border czar plans to cut immigration agents in Minneapolis, pending local cooperation

WASHINGTON -- White House border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that he plans to "draw down" the number of federal immigration enforcement agents in US Minneapolis, depending on cooperation with state and local officials.

At a press conference in Minneapolis, Homan said that after talking with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the state's Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, the two sides agreed not to release those arrested on public safety back in the community, so they could be lawfully transferred to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"Rather than arresting the same public safety threat, significant public safety threat over and over again, they agreed to work with us to identify those people and remove them," Homan said. "County jails may notify ICE of the release dates of criminal public safety risks, so ICE can take custody of them upon their release from the jail."

The White House border czar said that "this is common-sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here," adding that he has staff from Customs and Border Protection and from ICE working on a drawdown plan, based on local cooperation and how many targets are left.

Homan added that "the 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."

He acknowledged that federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis is not perfect, and things will be improved, adding that "we are not surrendering our mission at all."

Homan's remarks came three days after he was sent by US President Donald Trump to Minnesota. When asked by reporters, he declined to comment on the recent deadly shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but said the investigations should run their course.

Homan also noted that "the hostile rhetoric and dangerous threats and hate" against immigration enforcement agents "must stop."

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security said that the two border patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of Pretti have been placed on administrative leave.