Trump administration to withdraw 700 immigration agents from Minnesota

The Trump administration will withdraw about 700 federal immigration enforcement agents from Minnesota, though roughly 2,000 will remain, White House border czar Tom Homan announced Wednesday, a presence Democratic state leaders say is still excessive.

President Donald Trump has deployed thousands of armed immigration agents to Minneapolis and surrounding areas this year as part of an aggressive push to detain and deport migrants. The unprecedented buildup has fueled weeks of clashes with state and local officials, angry and sometimes violent confrontations with residents, and protests nationwide.

Homan said the partial drawdown was prompted by what he described as unprecedented cooperation from Minnesota sheriffs who oversee county jails, though he did not elaborate. He maintained that the deportation campaign was necessary for public safety and made clear it would continue.

“Let me be clear, President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this administration,” Homan said at a press conference. “Immigration enforcement actions will continue every day throughout this country. President Trump made a promise, and we have not directed otherwise.”

Homan also acknowledged a shortfall in body-worn cameras for agents and said he hoped to address the issue with Congress.

The enforcement operation, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, has been opposed since early January by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and other Democratic officials. Trump has responded with sharp criticism and accusations of lawbreaking. Walz and Frey have sued the administration in federal court, seeking to block or scale back a deployment that at its peak was about 20 times the normal number of immigration agents in the state and larger than local police forces.

Asked about the reduction, Trump told NBC News, “I learned that maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough.”

Walz and Frey both called the announcement encouraging but inadequate. “The drawdown and body-worn cameras are a step in the right direction, but 2,000 ICE officers still here is not de-escalation,” Frey said. “Operation Metro Surge has been catastrophic for our businesses and residents. It needs to end immediately.”

Trump dispatched Homan to Minnesota in late January to meet with Walz and Frey and calm unrest in Minneapolis, which intensified after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by immigration agents. The deportation campaign has also drawn criticism from some Republicans and rebukes from federal judges who say court orders on migrant detentions have been ignored.

Despite Wednesday’s reduction, Minnesota will still host an unusually large federal presence. The administration sent about 2,000 agents to the state in early January. On January 6, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons called Operation Metro Surge the largest immigration operation ever. A day later, ICE officers fatally shot U.S. citizen Renee Good in her car in Minneapolis. Two weeks later, federal agents fatally shot another U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, on a city street. By the end of January, the number of agents had climbed to roughly 3,000.

Homan said his ultimate goal was to return to the usual force of about 150 immigration agents in Minnesota but offered no timeline.

Trump and Homan have urged more Minnesota jails to cooperate with ICE by allowing agents access to detainees. Only seven of the state’s 87 county sheriffs have formal agreements with ICE. Others, including the Hennepin County jail in Minneapolis, refuse to cooperate. Minneapolis and several other cities bar city employees from asking about immigration status, arguing such policies protect public safety by encouraging migrants to report crimes.

Homan accused protesters of obstructing agents, whom he described as patriots unfairly vilified for enforcing the law. Outside the federal field office near Minneapolis, more than a dozen protesters demonstrated against ICE in subfreezing temperatures as Homan spoke.

Asked whether Operation Metro Surge had been successful, Homan said it had improved public safety. “Was it a perfect operation? No,” he said.