Trump administration to end immigration crackdown in Minnesota
Washington: The Trump administration is ending its crackdown on immigrants in the US state of Minnesota, after two months of more than 4,000 arrests and the deaths of two American citizens by law enforcement.
President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who was sent to Minneapolis after the murder of a second US citizen in January, announced that the special operation will be terminated in the coming days.
“I proposed that this increase operation be concluded, and President Trump agrees,” he said at a press conference. “A significant decline has already begun this week and will continue next week.”
Tim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, who harshly criticized Trump and the oppression in his state, made some concessions in negotiations with Homan. He said he was cautiously optimistic that the “unprecedented federal occupation” would now end.
“They left us with deep damage, generational trauma. They left us with economic ruin in some cases,” he said, flagging that an emergency fund for small businesses would be activated.
Walz also called for federal money to be given to Minnesota but said he wouldn’t hold his breath. “The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here. You can’t break things and then just leave.”
The killings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents shook the country and shook the world. Both were initially portrayed by the Trump administration as agitators responsible for their own deaths, but public outrage and Republican suspicions led to a change of position, especially after Pretti’s death.
Trump sent Homan to Minneapolis to “de-escalate” the situation in the North Star State, where violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement have become a daily occurrence.
Homan replaced Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol’s overall commander; Bovino, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House homeland security adviser Stephen Miller, spearheaded the portrayal of Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” and “would-be assassin” seeking to “decimate law enforcement.”
The White House announced earlier this month that Operation Metro Surge has resulted in the arrest of more than 4,000 illegal alien criminals in Minnesota since December, including murderers, rapists, gang members and other threats to public safety. It was not stated how many of these people were deported.
Homan said that 3,364 missing, unaccompanied immigrant children “lost” by the Biden administration were also identified in the operation. But Walz said the detention of some children by ICE remains a major concern. Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos gained national attention in January when he and his father were taken into custody and taken to Texas, but were later returned to Minnesota.
“They left us with a lot of unanswered questions,” Walz said. “Where are our children? Where is the investigation into those responsible for Renee and Alex’s deaths and what is the process?”
Polls show Americans who largely support Trump’s efforts to close the southern border and deport violent criminals but oppose a crackdown that has led to mass arrests at workplaces, car washes and farms are increasingly dissatisfied with Trump’s stance on immigration.
At the height of the special operation, some 3,000 federal immigration agents descended on Minnesota. This situation caused serious friction not only on the streets but also among law enforcement officers. Minneapolis is a so-called sanctuary city where local police generally do not assist federal immigration authorities.
Homan said a key factor in allowing the sting to end was that government agencies now notify federal immigration authorities when a noncitizen is about to be released from prison, meaning ICE agents can arrest that person in jail rather than on the streets.
“As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now a less safe haven state for criminals,” he said.
Homan said it was “completely false” to say the administration was backing away from its policy of mass deportations while criminals remain the focus; This includes all undocumented immigrants, regardless of their criminal history. “We’re going to take action on everyone else, that’s the cold hard truth.”
Immigration enforcement in Minnesota will return to normal, including some law enforcement to protect federal agents, but agitation and protests from the community have diminished, Homan said.
He defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers against what he called “unfounded complaints” about their actions while in Minnesota. He said no illegal aliens were arrested at the hospital, elementary school or church.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political correspondent in Canberra.Connect with: X or email.
