Tom Homan, White House “Border Czar” speaks at a press conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on February 4, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
John Moore | Getty Images
Border czar Tom Homan on Thursday said President Donald Trump has agreed with his proposal to conclude the monthslong federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.
“We have greatly reduced the number of targets for enforcement action” in the Twin Cities region as a result of the influx of thousands of officers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agencies, Homan said at a press conference.
Homan last week had announced a drawdown of 700 agents from the area encompassing Minneapolis and St. Paul, a roughly 25% pullback that still left about 2,000 officers in place.
The total withdrawal “will continue to the next week,” he said Thursday morning in Minneapolis.
Homan announced the conclusion of “Operation Metro Surge” less than three weeks after Trump deployed him to Minnesota to run the sweeping deportation mission, replacing Border Patrol commander at large Gregory Bovino.
That shake-up followed the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens who were fatally shot by federal agents in separate altercations in January.
The killings massively inflamed tensions over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts, spurring widespread protests and rapidly souring public opinion toward ICE.
Homan in Thursday’s presser touted a recent de-escalation in those tensions, crediting improved cooperation between the federal government and state and local leaders since he took over.
“We’ve seen a big change here in the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“With that, and success that has been made arresting public safety threats and other priorities since this surge operation began, as well as the unprecedented levels of coordination we have obtained from state officials and local law enforcement, I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,” Homan said.
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