US border czar Tom Homan, newly installed as commander of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, yesterday said that federal agents would focus on “targeted” operations, shifting away from the broad street sweeps that have drawn widespread outrage.
Homan also said he would reduce the 3,000-strong force of agents deployed to the city if he received “co-operation” from state and local leaders, noting that he has had productive meetings with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both vocal critics of the surge.
“We can do better,” he said, in a rare acknowledgment from a Trump official that the operation has not been perfect. “We made some significant gains, significant co-ordination and co-operation, and you’re going to see some massive changes occurring here in this city.”
Homan’s public remarks – his first since Trump dispatched him to the city on Monday in response to the national outcry – suggested a continued effort to de-escalate from the administration, which has been under intensifying political pressure after two US citizens were shot dead by federal agents.
Newly issued internal guidance from a high-ranking Immigration and Customs Enforcement official directs federal officers to refrain from any unnecessary communication and engagement with “agitators” so as to avoid “inflaming the situation.”
The directive, reviewed by Reuters yesterday, also orders ICE officers to only target immigrants who have records of criminal charges or convictions, a departure from earlier tactics that included randomly stopping people on the street to demand documented proof of legal US residence or citizenship.
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