Tom Homan announces partial departure of federal immigration agents from Minneapolis, affirms that all those in US illegally are subject to deportation

Border czar Tom Homan announced on Wednesday morning that 700 federal agents will be withdrawn from Minnesota "effective immediately" due to an "increase in unprecedented collaboration" between counties and federal authorities. 

Homan told reporters, "Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration, and as a result of the need for less law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I am announcing effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people, effective today. 700 law enforcement personnel."

Homan said that there is an "unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets." He stressed that this was a more efficient and safe process, requiring less agents to take a person into custody directly from local custody, rather than teams having to track down such illegal aliens in the streets. 

"This frees up more officers to arrest and remove criminal aliens. More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails means less officers on the streets doing criminal operations. This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement. It’s safer for the community, it’s safer for the officers, and it’s safer for the alien. This coordination also makes it far more safe for the Twin Cities. Arresting a public safety threat in the safety and security of a jail is the safest thing we can do."

He added that less public safety risks are being released into the community, reducing recidivism and allowing local law enforcement to redirect their resources elsewhere in the community. 

Homan noted, however, that it is not just national safety risks that are being targeted with removal operations. "For those who are not a national security threat or public safety risk, you are not exempt from immigration enforcement actions. If you're in the country illegally, you are not off the table. Let me be clear, President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this Administration, and immigration enforcement actions will continue every day throughout this country."

The removal of some federal agents comes after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signaled a willingness to work with the Trump administration on the matter. Trump and Walz had a phone call in late January, during which Trump laid out a path for Minnesota that included turning over criminal illegal immigrants who are in jails in the state to federal law enforcement.