Tim Walz demands federal government ‘pay for what they broke’ after Homan announces Minnesota drawdown
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is demanding the federal government “pay for what they broke” after the Trump administration announced it would reduce its enforcement presence against immigrants in the Twin Cities.
At a press conference following Border Czar Tom Homan’s announcement that the administration would end “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota, Walz said federal law enforcement’s presence in the state had left “profound damage” and “generational trauma.”
“The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here,” Walz said. “There [is] There will be accountability for what happened, but one of the issues is the incredible and enormous costs that people in this state are bearing. “The federal government needs to be responsible: You can’t break things and then walk away without doing anything.”
“Therefore, we will ask the federal delegation to invest and do the necessary things,” he added.
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Walz, known as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election, has been at odds with the administration over much of the operation aimed at cracking down on widespread fraud and abuse in the state.
Walz said of the federal withdrawal: “We’re cautiously optimistic that this wave of untrained, aggressive federal agents will leave Minnesota, and I think they’ll go wherever they go.”
“The truth is that they have left us with deep wounds, generational traumas, in some cases economic devastation, with many unanswered questions: Where are our children? Where are the investigations into those responsible for Renee and Alex’s deaths, and what is the process?” continued.
“So while the federal government can move on to the next thing it wants to do, the State of Minnesota and our administration remain unwaveringly focused on improving what they do.”
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Homan announced Thursday that the administration will complete Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota. The operation was able to reduce public safety threats thanks to an “unprecedented level of coordination” by state officials and local law enforcement, Homan told reporters at a news conference at Bishop Whipple Federal in Minneapolis.
“As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now a less safe haven state for criminals,” Homan said. “I have recommended that this surge operation be concluded, and President Trump agrees.”
Homan said a “significant reduction” in the number of immigration agents has already begun and will continue into next week.
The border czar announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota but 2,000 would remain. He noted that cooperation with prisons has improved and said the goal is a full withdrawal, but that “is contingent on ending illegal and threatening activities against ICE.”
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He said only a “small staff footprint” would remain for a while, while remaining on-site to oversee the decline and success of the operation.
“In addition, federal government personnel assigned to conduct criminal investigations against agitators and personnel assigned to fraud investigations here will remain on duty until the job is done,” Homan said. he said.
