The Trump administration will withdraw 700 ICE agents from Minnesota, scaling back its immigration enforcement surge, border czar Tom Homan said on Wednesday.
Homan said the drawdown follows what he described as “unprecedented cooperation” from Minnesota’s elected sheriffs and local authorities, particularly in county jails, which he said has improved the efficiency of immigration enforcement operations.
“Let me be clear, President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this administration, and immigration enforcement actions will continue every day throughout this country,” Homan told reporters. “President Trump made a promise. And we have not directed otherwise.”
Thousands of federal immigration agents, mostly from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have been deployed in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul in recent months as part of an operation the administration has referred to as Operation Metro Surge. The Department of Homeland Security says about 3,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested since the operation began.
After the withdrawal of 700 agents, around 2,000 federal officers are expected to remain in Minnesota, most of them concentrated in the Twin Cities area, according to Homan.
The surge has triggered protests and drawn national attention following the killing of two U.S. citizens during encounters involving federal agents in Minnesota.
Homan said stronger coordination with state and local officials now allows more individuals to be taken into custody directly from jails, reducing the need for street-level operations.
“More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails means fewer officers on the street doing criminal operations,” he said. “This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement.”
The White House has sent mixed signals on whether the Minnesota deployment represents a broader shift in strategy or a tactical adjustment. While Homan described the move as a step toward ending the surge, Trump has repeatedly said his administration remains committed to aggressive nationwide immigration enforcement.
The partial withdrawal comes as immigration continues to be a central issue for Trump, who has made mass deportations and border security key pillars of his domestic agenda.
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