Trump’s border czar says immigration crackdown in Minnesota will ‘conclude’ | Minnesota

The Trump administration has claimed it is rolling back an immigration crackdown that led to the deaths of two US citizens, mass detentions and widespread protests in Minnesota.

The move was announced by US border czar Tom Homan at a news conference on Thursday.

“I made the offer, and President Trump agrees that this surge operation should be concluded,” Homan said, claiming that a “significant downturn” had already begun this week and will continue next week.

Agents in Minnesota will return to their regular duties or be assigned elsewhere, Homan said. Officials have previously said the number of agents in Minnesota would return to normal levels of about 100 agents. But security teams will remain in place to respond to what Homan calls “agitators” who oppose the work of immigration agents in the state.

Homan said he would stay in Minnesota “a little bit longer” to oversee the withdrawal of agents.

Local and state officials had said they were hopeful of a decline based on their conversations with Homan, but would not believe it until they saw the evidence on the ground.

During the months-long crackdown, federal agents killed two U.S. citizens (Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti) who were observing the agents’ activities, sparking nationwide protests and a surge in local organizing to track the agents and provide food and supplies to immigrants, including those with legal status, who felt unsafe leaving their homes.

Homan took over the immigration crackdown in Minnesota from Greg Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official who was overseeing the operation at the time of both killings.

The influx of representatives started with thousands of representatives in early December, then increased again in January. The agents outnumbered the largest police departments in the Twin Cities.

Homan announced earlier this month that he would send home about 700 agents, about 2,000 of whom still remain in the state. Since that announcement, agents across the state have been increasingly removing people from their communities in suburban and rural areas.

Homan cited an “unprecedented level of coordination” with local law enforcement as a factor in this withdrawal, claiming that local law enforcement now responds to scenes where individuals use protesting agents to pose a public safety threat or violate local ordinances. He also said agents are now working with prisons around the state to turn over undocumented people in custody, but not keeping them in local custody longer than their sentences.

He claimed that Minnesota was “now a less safe haven state for criminals” because of the federal offensive, which he called a “success.”

At a press conference Thursday morning, Minnesota governor Tim Walz praised Minnesotans for their response to the federal surge, saying they “showed what it means to stand up for what’s right.” He said he was “skeptically optimistic” and that Homan told him the agents would leave quickly.

“We’ll help you get to the airport,” Walz said. “We’ll clear the roads to get you to the airport. I’ll come and pack your damn bags if I have to.”

Walz also said the state has not changed its policies on immigration, and that the state has already handed over people in state prisons to immigration authorities. He said one of the federal government’s requests to him was to encourage protesters to be peaceful, which he did, but said: “I’m not going to ask.” [protesters] “To avoid being left on the streets.”

He said the harm caused by federal agents will leave a mark on Minnesotans. He announced that he would propose a $10 million program in the form of forgivable loans for small businesses to address the economic disruption caused by the surge. The proposal would need legislative approval.

“The truth is they left us with deep damage, intergenerational trauma,” Walz said. “They have ruined us economically. In some cases, they have left us with many unanswered questions. Where are our children? Where are the investigations into those responsible for Renee’s death and what is the process? [Good] and Alex [Pretti]?”

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, also praised city residents for their response to the increase.

“They thought they could break us, but our love for our neighbors and our determination to endure may outlast the occupation,” Frey wrote on social media. “These patriots of Minneapolis show that it’s not just about resistance; it’s deeply American to stand with our neighbors.”

Frey added that the operation had been a “disaster” for the city’s people and business and that it was time for a “great comeback.”

“We will show the same commitment and resilience to our immigrant residents in this reopening, and I hope the entire country will stand with us as we move forward,” he said.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who represents most of Minneapolis, said in a statement that she was “outraged and heartbroken” that Minnesotans had to endure “unimaginable suffering at the hands of this administration” over the past several months.

“Nothing about what we witnessed was normal,” he said. “Businesses are reeling from the economic devastation. Families are shattered. Children will carry the trauma of federal agents attacking their neighborhoods for the rest of their lives. The pain inflicted on this community will not go away, it will be seared into their memories the moment their own government turns against them.”

Minneapolis city council president Elliott Payne said he would not let his guard down. Payne has been monitoring the activity of immigration agents on the streets since the surge began. HE he told the Minnesota Star Tribune: “This administration lied about every aspect of this surge, which is why I don’t believe a word that comes out of Homan’s mouth. I’ll believe it when I see it and will continue to patrol my community.”

In his announcement Thursday morning, Homan reiterated that Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan will continue nationwide.

“To those who say we are reneging on immigration enforcement or the promise of mass deportation, you are dead wrong,” he said. He added that the priority is to go after people who threaten public safety or national security, but that “doesn’t mean we forget about everyone.” “We will take action against everyone else.”