White House Border Czar Tom Homan speaks during a press conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on February 4, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Charlie Triballo | Afp | Getty Images
The Trump administration take down 700 federal law enforcement officers Minnesota “Effective Immediately” White House Border King Tom Homan said Wednesday.
After that partial withdrawal, there will be about 2,000 federal agents in the state, a reduction of about 25%, most of them concentrated in the Twin Cities area, which includes Minneapolis and St. Paul, Homan said at a news conference in Minneapolis.
Homan announced the withdrawal after what he described as “unprecedented cooperation” between the federal government and state and local entities.
That cooperation will increase efficiency, require fewer officers to be sent to communities “to catch a criminal alien target,” and free up resources, Homan said.
“More officers arresting criminal aliens directly from prisons means fewer officers on the street committing crimes,” he said. “This is smart law enforcement, law enforcement no less.”
He has repeatedly insisted that the administration “will not give up” in Minneapolis, which has become the epicenter of civil unrest over the administration’s aggressive deportation tactics.
“Full reductions” in the area will depend on continued cooperation by state and local agencies, as well as “a reduction in violence, rhetoric and attacks against (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and Border Patrol,” Homan said.
Tensions between immigration enforcement and protesters flared in January after federal agents killed two US citizens, Renee Nicole Hood and Alex Pretty, during a personal altercation.
Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem was quick to defend the killing, initially accusing Hood and Pretty of domestic terrorism.
But as public opinion quickly turned against ICE, the administration changed its tone about the death and the President Donald Trump Homan was sent to Minnesota, replacing Gregory Bovino, to lead ground operations.
“We are not abandoning the president’s mission on the mass deportation operation,” Homan said Wednesday. “If you’re in the country illegally, if we find you, we’ll deport you. But this is about a target enforcement operation, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
