Where things stand
• Border czar outlines plan: White House border czar Tom Homan said he has ordered federal immigration authorities to work on an eventual drawdown plan for law enforcement in Minnesota. In remarks to the press in Minneapolis, Homan — who has taken the reins on the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown there — said operations on the ground will be targeted and he is “staying ‘til the problem’s gone.”
• New potential guidelines: The administration is considering new guidelines for federal immigration officers in Minnesota, including plans to avoid engaging with “agitators” and only focusing on immigrants with convictions or facing criminal charges, officials familiar with the talks told CNN.
• Alex Pretti shooting: Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said footage showing a clash between Pretti and federal agents over a week before he was killed did not justify the protester’s killing. Federal officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave per standard protocol, DHS said.
Mentions of fraud investigations in Minnesota were notably absent from border czar’s news conference
When addressing the press in Minneapolis this morning, White House border czar Tom Homan did not mention any ongoing fraud investigations in Minnesota.
Homan did not address those allegations of fraud, which the Trump administration had used to justify increased federal law enforcement actions in Minnesota, despite the White House saying he would help manage the subject.
“Tom Homan will be managing ICE operations on the ground in Minnesota and coordinating with others on the ongoing fraud investigations,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to CNN on Monday.
The surge in federal resources — from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security — had followed the release of a widely circulated video in which YouTube content creator Nick Shirley alleged, with little evidence, to have uncovered widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centers.
Democratic attorneys general say Bondi revealed the “true purpose” of federal agent surge
Several Democratic state attorneys general asserted their support for Minnesota officials Thursday in a letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi. The letter blasts Bondi for making demands this weekend of Gov. Tim Walz that they said “are without lawful basis and inconsistent with fundamental principles of our federal system.”
Bondi told Walz in a letter Saturday that he could “bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota” by abandoning sanctuary city policies, sharing confidential data from the state’s social services programs with the Trump administration, and turning over Minnesota’s full, non-public voter rolls to the Department of Justice.
The Democratic attorneys general accused the administration of “attempting through force what it cannot achieve through the courts,” saying policy disputes raised by Bondi are the subject of lawsuits that have not produced wins for President Donald Trump so far.
“Your letter, penned on the very day federal agents took the life of a second civilian on Minnesota’s streets, makes plain the true purpose behind the administration’s violent and unlawful assault,” the new letter, signed by attorneys general of 21 states and the District of Columbia, said.
“It is not to uncover fraud or pursue criminal undocumented immigrants, but rather to terrify the people of Minnesota and coerce the State into abandoning policies and protections it has the sovereign authority to pursue.”
Analysis: As Homan tries to turn the page, attention turns back to Washington
Border czar Tom Homan tried to turn the page in Minnesota on Thursday. But despite his pragmatic rhetoric and focus on how to move forward, it remains unclear what the future looks like.
Eyes are now back on Washington, DC, where President Donald Trump is convening his Cabinet officials for a meeting Thursday morning. It’ll be Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s first public appearance since her controversial press conference on Saturday in the immediate aftermath of Alex Pretti’s killing in an encounter with federal agents. The president and his top officials have publicly and privately maintained that Trump still has full confidence in Noem, even as he has moved to sideline one of his top officials on the ground, Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino.
Similar questions have swirled around deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller’s standing. Like Noem, he was quick to malign Pretti in the wake of his death. Miller has since sought to suggest Customs and Border Protection may not have been following proper protocol.
But Miller is viewed as the mastermind of Trump’s immigration agenda — and new questions have emerged as to whether the administration’s shifting strategy will ultimately impact how he operates moving forward.
Access to jails is key to a drawdown in Minnesota, Trump admin says. Here's what we know
Increased cooperation between county jail systems and immigration authorities would be key to the Department of Homeland Security drawing down on the number of federal agents posted in Minnesota, White House border czar Tom Homan said in a news conference this morning.
Homan said he spoke to Minnesota officials, including state Attorney General Keith Ellison, who “clarified for me that county jails may notify ICE of the release dates of criminal public safety risks, so ICE can take custody of them upon their release from the jail.”
Homan, who noted that the Minnesota state prison system has already been honoring ICE detainers, called the decision a common sense move that would allow for more immigration agents in jails and fewer on the streets.
ICE detainers are requests from ICE to local law enforcement to hold a suspected noncitizen beyond their scheduled release, so they can be turned over to federal custody.
ICE and Customs and Border Protection staff are working on a draw down plan for Minnesota “based on the cooperation” of local officials, Homan said.
“If they [federal agencies] want to work together on catching truly bad guys that have made our city less safe, we do that. By the way, we do that now,” Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said in a CNN town hall last night.
In December, Ellison’s office released an opinion stating that local law enforcement officers would not hold people in jail solely based on ICE detainers. The opinion also notes that county sheriffs may not unilaterally set up cooperation agreements with ICE without approval from their board of commissioners.
Border czar Tom Homan just held his first news conference in Minneapolis. Here’s what he said
When kicking off his news conference in Minneapolis, border czar Tom Homan said he would be “staying ‘til the problem’s gone,” but added that he has ordered federal immigration authorities to work on a “drawdown plan” for law enforcement in Minnesota following two fatal shootings.
Homan told reporters he came to Minnesota at President Donald Trump’s request to improve the situation on the ground.
He acknowledged that federal immigration operations have not been “perfect” and noted that federal officers who don’t act with professionalism will be “dealt with, like any other federal agency.”
Sharing details about his conversations with Minnesota officials, Homan said state Attorney General Keith Ellison told him county jails “may notify ICE of the release dates” of “criminal public safety risks” so ICE can take them into custody. A drawndown of forces in the state will happen, “based on the discussions” Homan has had with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ellison, he said.
While Homan stressed that immigration operations are focused on criminal undocumented immigrants who pose public safety or national security threats, he said anyone who has crossed the border illegally remains at risk of deportation.
Homan said that neither he nor President Donald Trump wants anyone to die, but stressed that “the hostile rhetoric and dangerous threats and hate” against immigration enforcement agents “must stop.”
Homan refused to talk about the shootings by federal agents in Minnesota — which killed two US citizens — citing ongoing investigations.
CNN’s Chris Boyette, Kaanita Iyer, Michael Williams and Kit Maher contributed reporting.
Analysis: Homan tries to show up as the grown-up in Minnesota
President Donald Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota this week with a clear goal: clean up this mess.
Homan attempted to do just that Thursday morning, adopting the role many administration officials have credited him for in recent days — being the grown up in the room.
He used his first public appearance since arriving in the state to do something many top administration officials have so far been reluctant, and at times unwilling, to do: acknowledge mistakes have been made in how federal immigration authorities have been carrying out the president’s agenda. And he said changes are in the process of being enacted.
Homan said he would not leave Minnesota “until the problem’s gone,” stressing the administration and local officials need to have substantive conversations. Upholding “public safety should be paramount,” he said, is a higher priority than the administration’s deportation agenda. And he said federal officers who do not act with professionalism will be “dealt with” appropriately.
Homan also emphasized that he is working on a “draw down plan” — something Minnesota’s Democratic leaders have relentlessly requested. But he cautioned that such a reduction in federal resources would be dependent upon cooperation with local leaders.
It was a remarkable shift in tone from the aggressive and defiant language the president’s top immigration officials used after Alex Pretti was fatally shot in an encounter with federal agents. Homan notably did not mention Pretti’s name and quickly redirected questions about his killing by maintaining the administration is going to “let the investigation play out.”
CNN correspondent: Homan's news conference followed his "classic playbook"
Following a news conference with border czar Tom Homan in Minneapolis, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez described it as following his “classic playbook.”
“Everything that he said is the philosophy that he has had on immigration enforcement for years,” said Alvarez, who covers immigration.
Listen to Alvarez’s breakdown of the news conference here:
Homan plans to meet with more community leaders: “I want to hear what they have to say”
White House border czar Tom Homan thanked local and state officials in Minnesota whom he had already met with as well as those he has yet to meet with during a news conference on Thursday.
Homan said he’s had meetings with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, as well as “numerous police chiefs and sheriffs.”
“We’ve had meaningful, meaningful dialog,” Homan said. “We didn’t agree on everything, but we agreed on the things I just talked about — there’s much more we can do, and I’m in continuous dialogues.”
He addressed questions from some who wanted to know “why we’re talking with people who they don’t consider friends to the administration,” saying, “Bottom line is you can’t fix problems if you don’t have discussions.”
Homan added that he planned to continue talking and meeting with business and religious leaders in Minnesota communities. “I want to hear what they have to say,” he said.
“I came here to seek solutions, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’ve come a long way, and we got some good wins for the people of Minnesota.”
Homan declines to discuss shootings by federal agents: "We'll let investigation roll out"
Border czar Tom Homan refused to talk about the shootings by federal agents in Minnesota — which killed two US citizens — citing ongoing investigations.
When asked at a news conference about a new video that surfaced of Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot Saturday, Homan said, “I’m not going to comment on any shootings.”
Earlier this month, 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by a federal agent. A week later, an ICE officer shot and wounded a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minneapolis.
Homan says Trump doesn't want anyone to die during immigration operations
White House border czar Tom Homan said he that neither he nor President Donald Trump wants anyone to die.
“The President, one of the words he said to me when I came up here, he doesn’t want to see anybody die… I don’t want to see anybody die, even the people we’re looking for. I don’t want to see anybody die,” Homan said.
White House border czar calls for "hostile rhetoric” to stop
Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said Thursday that “the hostile rhetoric and dangerous threats and hate” against immigration enforcement agents “must stop.”
Homan said the rhetoric has caused an increase in assaults on immigration agents and forced the administration to send in additional resources to Minnesota.
“I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March, if the rhetoric didn’t stop, there’s going to be bloodshed, and there has been. I wish I wasn’t right,” he said.
Homan said he has spoken with local law enforcement leaders about keeping agents safe as a way to ultimately draw down the amount of federal agents on the ground.
“The chiefs I’ve talked to are committed to responding to 911 calls when protesters turned violent, agents are in a dangerous situation and there’s assaults,” Homan said. “They have committed to upholding public safety and responding to the needs not to enforce immigration law, but to keep the peace.”
Homan acknowledges right to protest — a departure from other officials who called protesters “agitators” or “rioters"
White House border czar Tom Homan on Thursday acknowledged that Americans have a right to protest federal immigration enforcement.
“You have your First Amendment rights — I support that,” Homan said during a press conference in Minneapolis today. “You have the right to protest. I’m just asking to keep it peaceful.”
His comments represent a notable departure from how other top officials had referred to protesters. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino had repeatedly called those protesting federal immigration operations in the city “agitators,” “rioters,” or “insurrectionists.”
Homan added that threatening, impeding or assaulting law enforcement is “never okay” and there will be “zero tolerance” for doing so.
Drawdown of forces in Minneapolis "is going to happen," Homan affirms
When asked by CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz how the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota was allowed to proceed in the manner it has and create fear among residents, White House border czar Tom Homan said the extra resources were brought in to provide security.
“Reason for a massive deployment is because of the threats, because of the violence,” Homan explained. “If I’m on an operation arrest team, I’m going to a house, I’ve got to be busy with that guy, the dangerous guy, and I can’t keep looking over my shoulder at what’s happening outside the house.”
A drawndown of forces in the state will happen, “based on the discussions,” Homan has had with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the border czar said.
“The drawdown is going to happen based on these agreements, but the drawdown can happen even more if the hateful rhetoric and the impediment and interference will stop,” he said.
Homan says Minnesota AG agreed that county jails can notify ICE of certain release dates
Trump border czar Tom Homan shared details during a press conference about his conversations with Minnesota officials, saying state Attorney General Keith Ellison told him county jails “may notify ICE of the release dates” of “criminal public safety risks” so ICE can take them into custody.
Homan also shared that he and state and local officials agreed on the following things:
- Community safety is the priority
- The legitimacy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Those arrested on public safety “could be” transferred to ICE custody
- Working together to identify those who are public safety threats and remove them
However, what they disagreed on was the officials’ involvement in immigration enforcement.
Homan warns deportation is "never off the table" for undocumented immigrants in the US
While President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan stressed that immigration operations are focused on criminal undocumented immigrants who pose public safety or national security threats, he said anyone who has crossed the border illegally remains at risk of deportation.
“All operations will be targeted, but the prioritization are going to be criminal aliens, public safety threats and national security threats,” Homan said. “We got a lot of them to keep us busy.”
“If you’re in the country illegally, you’re not – you’re never off the table,” he added.
If federal agents don’t act with professionalism, “they’ll be dealt with,” border czar says
Federal officers who don’t act with professionalism will be “dealt with, like any other federal agency,” White House border czar Tom Homan said while highlighting the challenging environment ICE officers and CBP agents are working in amid immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota.
“We have standards of conduct,” Homan said.
“These men and women, that carry that badge and gun, are American patriots. They put their selves on the line for this nation every day,” he added. “God bless every one of them.”
Homan says ICE and CBP are working on a “drawdown plan” in Minneapolis
White House border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday that he has ordered federal immigration authorities to work on a “drawdown plan” for law enforcement in Minnesota following two fatal shootings.
Homan, who was deployed by the Trump administration to Minneapolis to replace Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino following Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, said officers would be more focused on working in jails and prisons, and less focused on the street operations that have drawn heavy criticism for their severe and sweeping tactics.
“More agents in the jail means less agents in the street,” Homan said. “This is common-sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here.”
“Yes, I said it,” he added, “draw down the number of people here.”
Homan acknowleges "certain improvements could and should be made"
President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan acknowledged that federal immigration operations have not been “perfect.”
“President Trump and I, along with others in administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made. That’s exactly what I’m doing here,” Homan said Thursday at a press conference in Minneapolis.
“In meetings I’ve had with federal law enforcement managers, including ICE and CBP and other federal partners, as well as state and local officials, I have conveyed the president’s expectations with regard to federal immigration enforcement efforts.”
Homan, who has a long history in immigration enforcement and previously served as a Border Patrol agent, said he didn’t come to Minnesota looking photo ops or headlines.
“I come here looking for solutions. I do not want to hear that everything’s been done here has been perfect. Nothing’s ever perfect.”
He also stressed how operations on the ground in Minneapolis will be targeted so “when we hit the streets, we know exactly who we’re looking for.”
“What we’ve been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book,” Homan said. “The mission is going to improve because of the changes we’re making internally.”
"I didn’t come to Minnesota for photo ops," border czar says
White House border czar Tom Homan told reporters he came to Minnesota at President Donald Trump’s request to improve the situation on the ground.
“I didn’t come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines,” Homan said. “I came here to seek solutions, and that’s we’re going to do.”
Homan said he’s had constructive conversations with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
“One thing we did agree on … was that community safety is paramount,” Homan said.
“I'm staying 'til the problem’s gone,” Homan says of deployment to Minnesota
Starting his press conference in Minneapolis, border czar Tom Homan said he would be “staying ‘til the problem’s gone.”
Homan was sent to Minnesota on Monday to take the reins on the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
“We’ve made a lot of progress, a lot of progress in the last three days,” he told reporters.
