Tom Homan orders 700 federal agents out of Minnesota in bold enforcement shift

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: The Trump administration will begin withdrawing hundreds of federal immigration agents from Minnesota, border enforcement czar Tom Homan said on Wednesday, February 4, signaling a possible easing of a controversial operation that has sparked nationwide protests and intense scrutiny. 

The move followed weeks of unrest after two US citizens were killed during encounters involving federal authorities in the Twin Cities.

Tom Homan says the goal 'is to achieve a complete drawdown'

Speaking at a press conference in Minneapolis, Homan said that roughly 700 agents would be removed from the state as part of an initial drawdown. He described the move as a step toward ending the large-scale federal presence.

“My goal, with the support of President Trump, is to achieve a complete drawdown and end this surge as soon as we can,” Homan said, suggesting that the timeline remained conditional.

After that partial withdrawal, around 2,000 federal agents will remain in the state, he confirmed.

He said the pullback followed what he characterized as “unprecedented cooperation” among federal, state, and local authorities, arguing that the coordination had made enforcement more efficient.

Homan added that this was achieved by limiting the need to send large numbers of officers into neighborhoods to take custody of “criminal alien targets,” freeing up resources for other priorities.

“When more officers take custody of criminal aliens directly from jails, it means fewer officers on the street conducting criminal operations,” Homan said. “That’s smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement.”

He again pushed back on suggestions that the administration was retreating in Minneapolis amid its aggressive deportation campaign.

Homan reiterated- “If you are in the country illegally, if we find you, we'll deport you.”

Homan addressed the anti-ICE protesters, saying, “What are you doing? You really think you're going to stop ICE and CBP from doing their job? It's a joke. The only people you're hurting are your own community.”

Over the past two months, more than 3,000 federal agents have been deployed to Minneapolis under what the administration calls 'Operation Metro Surge', a presence that has dwarfed local law enforcement resources.

The operation drew widespread condemnation after two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed in separate encounters involving federal authorities.

Mixed signals from the White House

The administration’s messaging has shifted repeatedly in recent weeks, creating uncertainty.

Days after Pretti’s killing, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino was quietly reassigned back to California.

Homan arrived in Minneapolis shortly thereafter and suggested that the situation could be stabilized, promising a reduction in force and announcing that enforcement operations would move under a single chain of command rather than overlapping authorities.