The US is planning to draw down federal forces in Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of two US citizens there, but it is not ending its immigration operation, Tom Homan, the White House's border tsar said on Thursday. The draw down is going to happen, Homan said at a press conference in Minneapolis, but added: We are not surrendering our mission at all. We're just doing it smarter. It was not clear how many federal forces might leave the city, or when, raising new questions about how far the Trump administration will scale back its operation after the president said he was seeking to de-escalate in Minneapolis. President Trump wants this fixed, and I'm going to fix it, Homan stated.
The killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by agents carrying out Trump's immigration crackdown this month have provoked protests in Minneapolis, public outcry across the US and calls from lawmakers in both parties for some administration officials to be removed. Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have called for a withdrawal of federal agents entirely from the state's capital region. The state has also asked a federal judge to stop Operation Metro Surge, which involves approximately 3,000 immigration, border patrol and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers.
The administration, meanwhile, has blasted local officials, saying they should work with federal officers and agents and also criticizing Minneapolis for having a sanctuary city policy that bars city employees from enforcing immigration laws. Homan on Thursday said changes in the operation would depend on how much state and local officials cooperate with federal authorities, and added the administration disagreed with some of Frey and Walz's demands, but did not specify which ones.
In the hours after Pretti was killed on Saturday, Walz spoke with the White House twice, and since then he and Frey, both Democrats, have had phone calls with Trump.
In general, Homan provided few clues on what changes the administration would be willing to make. He said the federal operation in Minneapolis would be more targeted, but did not offer more details. While he pledged to fix the crackdown in Minneapolis, Homan also defended the administration's immigration enforcement measures, stating that tightening border security and targeting undocumented immigrants for deportation had made the country safer.
In Trump's first year back in office, ICE, which is part of DHS, carried out over 480,000 deportations, exceeding the previous high of 410,000 recorded in 2012 under President Obama. Trump has sent federal agents, as well as the National Guard, to major US cities over the last year to make good on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration. They have been met by protests and legal challenges in Democrat-led cities like Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago.
After frustration with the administration's handling of Good and Pretti's deaths appeared to reach a boiling point, both on the streets of Minneapolis and in the halls of Capitol Hill, Trump sent Homan to take over the operation. It's unclear whether Homan's remarks will appease lawmakers in Washington, as investigations into the shootings have been called by several Republicans, and Senate Democrats have threatened a partial government shutdown if a spending package includes new funding for DHS. In discussions, Senate leaders and the White House are negotiating a deal to remove DHS funding from the spending package, allowing for a more focused discussion moving forward.
The killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by agents carrying out Trump's immigration crackdown this month have provoked protests in Minneapolis, public outcry across the US and calls from lawmakers in both parties for some administration officials to be removed. Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have called for a withdrawal of federal agents entirely from the state's capital region. The state has also asked a federal judge to stop Operation Metro Surge, which involves approximately 3,000 immigration, border patrol and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers.
The administration, meanwhile, has blasted local officials, saying they should work with federal officers and agents and also criticizing Minneapolis for having a sanctuary city policy that bars city employees from enforcing immigration laws. Homan on Thursday said changes in the operation would depend on how much state and local officials cooperate with federal authorities, and added the administration disagreed with some of Frey and Walz's demands, but did not specify which ones.
In the hours after Pretti was killed on Saturday, Walz spoke with the White House twice, and since then he and Frey, both Democrats, have had phone calls with Trump.
In general, Homan provided few clues on what changes the administration would be willing to make. He said the federal operation in Minneapolis would be more targeted, but did not offer more details. While he pledged to fix the crackdown in Minneapolis, Homan also defended the administration's immigration enforcement measures, stating that tightening border security and targeting undocumented immigrants for deportation had made the country safer.
In Trump's first year back in office, ICE, which is part of DHS, carried out over 480,000 deportations, exceeding the previous high of 410,000 recorded in 2012 under President Obama. Trump has sent federal agents, as well as the National Guard, to major US cities over the last year to make good on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration. They have been met by protests and legal challenges in Democrat-led cities like Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago.
After frustration with the administration's handling of Good and Pretti's deaths appeared to reach a boiling point, both on the streets of Minneapolis and in the halls of Capitol Hill, Trump sent Homan to take over the operation. It's unclear whether Homan's remarks will appease lawmakers in Washington, as investigations into the shootings have been called by several Republicans, and Senate Democrats have threatened a partial government shutdown if a spending package includes new funding for DHS. In discussions, Senate leaders and the White House are negotiating a deal to remove DHS funding from the spending package, allowing for a more focused discussion moving forward.
