White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan speaks during a press conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building February 4, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
John Moore | Getty Images
Border Tsar Tom Homan Thursday, the president said Donald Trump has agreed to end Minnesota’s months-long federal immigration enforcement campaign.
“We’ve seen a big change here in the last few weeks,” Homan said at a news conference in Minneapolis. “All good changes.”
Homan said the number of screening targets in the Twin Cities area, inundated since December by thousands of agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agencies, has been “significantly reduced.”
Homan announced last week a withdrawal of 700 agents from the area encompassing Minneapolis and St. Paul, a withdrawal of about 25 percent that still left about 2,000 officers in place.
The total withdrawal “will continue until next week,” he said Thursday morning.
Homan added that a “small footprint” of personnel will remain in the area “for a period of time” to transfer command to a local office and to ensure “agitator activity” does not resume.
The conclusion of “Operation Metro Surge” was announced less than three weeks later Trump deployed Homan in Minnesota to lead the sweeping deportation mission, replacing at-large Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino.
This upheaval followed the death of Renee Nicole Good And Alex Prettitwo U.S. citizens who were fatally shot by federal agents during separate altercations in January.
The killings massively inflamed tensions over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration efforts in Minnesota, sparking widespread protests and quickly souring public opinion toward ICE.
Homan on Thursday touted a recent de-escalation of those tensions, crediting better coordination between the federal government and state and local leaders since he took office.
“With this, and the success that has been achieved in stopping threats to public safety and other priorities since this surge operation began, as well as the unprecedented levels of coordination we have achieved from state officials and local law enforcement, I have proposed, and President Trump has agreed, that this surge operation conclude,” Homan said.
But he stressed that the Trump administration’s efforts to deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants would continue.
“For those who say we are giving up on immigration measures or the promise of mass deportations, you are simply wrong,” he said.
Homan praised Minnesota Democratic leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, for cooperating with federal efforts despite their political differences.
Around the same time Homan spoke, Ellison sharply criticized federal actions in Minnesota.
“This increase contributes to violent crime,” he said during testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“Two of the three homicides in Minneapolis in 2026 were committed by federal immigration agents,” the AG testified.
Homan in Thursday’s press report acknowledged, “There were some issues here,” but insisted they have been resolved.
“We have had great success with this operation and we are leaving Minnesota safely,” he said.
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