Following weeks of operations and the shooting deaths of two demonstrators that provoked global indignation, US border czar Tom Homan said on Wednesday that 700 immigration enforcement officers would be leaving Minnesota.
Homan stated that the action will go into effect “immediately,” citing improved collaboration with local law enforcement, although he did not say whether the cops would be removed from Minneapolis or from other parts of the Midwestern state.
Homan explained the decision by saying that instead of holding criminal immigrants on the streets, “more officers are taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails”—actions that call for a lot fewer staff members.
However, he stated that the reduction will still result in over 2,000 police remaining in the state, compared to roughly 150 before to the start of the extensive immigration operations.
Homan emphasized that he will stay in Minneapolis “until we get it all done.” Minneapolis has been a major focal point in President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown.
Last month, a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman named Renee Good was shot and killed by federal agents while trying to flee an ICE enforcement operation. This incident sparked demonstrations and criticism from local authorities and human rights organizations.
In a different incident, federal agents beat and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse from Minneapolis.
Both victims were citizens of the United States. Concern over the management and conduct of federal immigration operations grew as a result of the killings, which attracted international attention and condemnation due to the government’s flagrantly false statements of what transpired.
Homan promised to wind down the operation under certain conditions after President Donald Trump removed contentious Customs and Border Protection commander Gregory Bovino in response to the outcry over the shootings.
