Minnesota AG Keith Ellison flatly denies Tom Homan’s ICE deal claim

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison publicly rejected claims made by "Border Czar" Tom Homan on Thursday, January 29, saying there is no agreement allowing county jails to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about inmate release dates.

The dispute surfaced the same day Homan claimed progress during his first press conference since being deployed to Minnesota earlier this week.

Ellison said clearly that no such deal exists and that he does not have the authority to make one. His statement came after Homan said the attorney general had agreed to alert ICE when county jails release illegal immigrants who are deemed public safety risks. 

“I did not make, and could not have made, any agreement with him about how sheriffs share with ICE information about people in their county jails,” Ellison said in a statement.

Keith Ellison says state law limits ICE notification rules

Ellison’s office stressed that Minnesota law draws a firm line between state prisons and county jails. According to the attorney general, state prisons are required to notify federal authorities when a person without legal status is convicted of a felony. County jails, however, operate independently.

Those facilities are run by local sheriffs and counties, which decide on their own whether to cooperate with ICE detainer requests or share inmate release information. Ellison’s office said that distinction has not changed. 

The attorney general’s response directly contradicted remarks made earlier Thursday by Homan, who told reporters that Ellison had clarified that county jails “may notify ICE” about release dates involving "criminal public safety risks."

Ellison said no new understanding or agreement was reached and that existing state law remains in place.

Tom Homan claims progress after meeting with Keith Ellison

Homan, who was sent to Minnesota on Monday by President Donald Trump, said he plans to stay in the state “until the problem is gone,” referring to unrest in Minneapolis tied to immigration enforcement operations.

During his Thursday news conference, Homan described his meeting with Ellison as “very productive” and suggested the state’s top attorney had agreed to cooperate with ICE in a way federal officials have long sought.

“One ICE agent can arrest one bad guy when he's behind the safety and security of a jail,” Homan said. “But when you release that public safety threat illegal alien back into the community, we have a job to do.”

Homan argued that arrests outside jail settings put both officers and the public at greater risk, saying ICE agents then have to track suspects in the community, where weapons and resistance are possible.

“So now what happens is now we've got to arrest somebody on his turf,” Homan said. “Now, we've got to send a whole team out.”

Federal crackdown continues amid unrest in Minneapolis

Homan also warned that ICE operations in the Twin Cities will continue despite what he described as hostile rhetoric and threats against federal officers.

“President Trump wants this fixed, and I'm going to fix it with your help,” Homan said.

Trump deployed Homan to Minnesota following heated clashes between anti-ICE demonstrators and federal agents across the Twin Cities. The unrest led to the deaths of two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, during confrontations involving law enforcement.