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Homan Seeks Cooperation In Minnesota: Vows 'Drawdown' On Streets In Exchange For Jail-Based ICE Ops

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by Tyler Durden
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Border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday that federal immigration authorities have made “a lot of progress” in recent days in Minnesota, signaling a possible shift in enforcement tactics as tensions remain high following deadly shootings and protests tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

Border czar Tom Homan speaks during a news conference about ongoing immigration enforcement operations on January 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP]

Speaking at a press conference early Thursday at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Homan said he has been in the city since Monday overseeing intensified immigration operations that began last month.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in the last few days,” Homan said, describing efforts to “remove threats” from the community. He added that he plans to remain in Minnesota until “the problem’s gone.”

Homan said he traveled to Minneapolis “to regain law and order in the city beloved by me and work together to remove threats from the community,” and emphasized that his visit was focused on negotiation rather than public relations.

“I didn’t come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines,” Homan said. “I came here to seek solutions, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Homan also addressed Republican pushback to engaging with Democratic leaders in Minneapolis and Minnesota, but defended those discussions.

“Bottom line is, you can’t fix problems if you don’t have discussions,” he said - noting that he met with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who told him that county jails may notify ICE of release dates for criminals deemed public safety risks. Homan said such cooperation would allow ICE to take those individuals into custody more safely.

“Give us access to illegal alien public safety threats,” Homan said. “It’s common sense. It’s safer for the community. It’s safer for the agent.”

Homan also said that the administration agreed that ICE “was a legitimate law enforcement agency that has a duty to enforce the laws enacted by Congress that keep this community safe,” but stressed that he disagreed with state and local officials who want to be directly involved in enforcement.

“I didn’t ask them to be immigration officers,” he said. “I’m asking them to be cops working with cops to help us take criminal aliens off the street.”

He argued that jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities “are sanctuaries for criminals.” 

Homan said he has held meetings with federal law enforcement managers, including ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers, as well as state and local officials, to convey “the president’s expectations with regard to federal immigration enforcement efforts.” He also made it clear that ICE officers would continue conducting “targeted enforcement operations.”

“We hit the streets, we know exactly who we’re looking for,” Homan said.

At the same time, Homan acknowledged imperfections in federal enforcement efforts amid protests and unrest.

“No organization is perfect,” he said, adding that administration officials, including President Trump, “have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made.”

Homan said he has directed ICE and CBP to work on a “drawdown plan” that would reduce street operations in favor of enforcement actions at jails and prisons.

“More agents in the jail means less agents in the street,” Homan said. “This is common-sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here.”

“Yes, I said it,” he added. “Draw down the number of people here.”

Homan called on state and local officials to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with federal agents, urging them to “tone down the dangerous rhetoric and condemn all unlawful action against law enforcement community.” He said local officers have described responding to 911 calls when protests turn violent, placing officers in dangerous situations.

“There are many ways your voice can be heard, express your feelings and affect change in the country across that line,” Homan said. “Political and other disagreements in this room should not at the expense of public safety and safety of federal law enforcement officers.”

Homan said federal resources would be withdrawn only if cooperation increases.

“As we see that cooperation happens, then the redeployment will happen,” he said.

Addressing the recent fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Homan declined to offer specifics, saying, “Do I have an opinion? Yeah. A personal opinion. I’m not going to share that with you.” He added, “We’ll let the investigation play out.”

He stressed that he does not want further loss of life during immigration operations.

“I don’t want to see anybody die, even the people we’re looking for,” Homan said. “I say a prayer every night that everybody was home safe.”

He also slammed Democrats for doing nothing...

Homan also warned that individuals responsible for organizing attacks on federal officers would face consequences.

“The organization and funding of attacks on ICE - they will be held accountable,” he said. “Justice is coming.”

He reiterated that ICE operations nationwide would remain focused on specific targets.

“All operations will be targeted,” Homan said, adding that agents are prioritizing “criminal animals, public safety threats, and national security threats.”

“We got a lot of them,” he said. “We got a lot of them that keep us busy.”

Homan rejected the idea that shifting tactics represented a retreat.

“We are not surrendering our mission at all,” he said. “We are just doing it smarter.”

Meanwhile, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he would travel to Washington, D.C., to press federal lawmakers to halt the enforcement effort.

“Minneapolis may be where we’ve seen one of the largest ICE deployments in the country, but it will not be the last if we fail to act,” Frey said. “I’m going to Washington to make the case for ending this strategy and replacing it with approaches that build trust, improve safety, and put our residents first.”

The competing messages underscore the political and operational tensions surrounding federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, as negotiations continue over the future scope and scale of ICE activity in the state.

Watch the entire press conference below:

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