Steve Bannon pushes back on Trump’s ICE pullback in Minnesota: 'These are not peaceful protesters'

WASHINGTON, DC: Former White House strategist Steve Bannon slammed President Donald Trump’s decision to pull back Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota, saying the move was too conciliatory and would not satisfy critics of the federal immigration surge.

Bannon issued the criticism on his ‘War Room’ podcast after White House border czar Tom Homan announced a drawdown of ICE agents in Minnesota as part of the winding down of the controversial Operation Metro Surge. 

Steve Bannon blasts ICE drawdown in Minnesota

Recently, border czar Tom Homan announced the administration’s intentions during a press conference in Minneapolis. 

“I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,” said Homan, who went on to express his gratitude to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D).

Bannon argued that the Trump administration’s decision to scale back federal agents in Minnesota fails to address what he described as broader political and tactical threats.

“It shouldn’t be a partisan issue about repelling the invasion,” mused Bannon after Homan’s press conference. “Look, Tom Homan’s a good man. And he was put, obviously, in a tough situation. We thought [Greg] Bovino was doing a great job. Let’s be blunt, this is a color revolution.”

“It’s not, these are not, like, peaceful protesters. That was not, their whole focus was to surge in the Marxist-jihadists, was to surge in, and to kind of break the spirit of ICE, and Customs and Border.”

“And here we’re announcing that-, and President Trump, I think, is trying to show that he’s prepared to accommodate and negotiate.”

Steve Bannon warns ICE drawdown signals weakness

“President Trump is trying to accommodate. He’s negotiating. He sent a counterproposal on the list of 10, of which we in the War Room posse agree there’s nothing to negotiate there.”

He said Trump’s choice to “accommodate and negotiate” with local officials instead of sustaining a full enforcement posture was a mistake. “Their whole business model is they did this. And to compliment Walz and Frey is, you know.. and Tom Homan is a good man and he’s trying to do it, but that, it’s just not gonna wash.”

“Frey and Walz, and trust me, they’re gonna spike the football all day on MSNBC and all day on CNN.”

He continued, “You need to realize all these bad guys and all these people that are fighting, these M*rxist-j*hadists, that are united in this cause to make sure that 15 to 20 million illegal aliens stay in the country, because this is how they keep power.”

Bannon acknowledged Homan as “a good man” put in a difficult position but maintained that Democrats and liberal media would leverage the drawdown to declare victory.

He urged a more uncompromising stance that, in his view, would better defend immigration enforcement and deter future resistance.