The Trump Administration’s “border czar” Tom Homan announced Wednesday that he will remove some 700 immigration agents from the state of Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis because of “unprecedented” cooperation from local authorities and after constant protests from citizens against a presence that has led to two shooting deaths of innocent Americans, and the detention and harassment of residents, including school-age minors.
“Because of this unprecedented increase in collaboration (of local entities in Minnesota) and because of the need for fewer agents to do this job in a safer environment, I am announcing that we are immediately going to lower our presence by 700 agents today,” Homan said at a press conference from Minneapolis, a week after Donald Trump sent him to redirect the situation in Minneapolis.
Homan detailed that Minnesota counties and authorities in the so-called “Twin Cities” of Saint Paul and Minneapolis will turn over to federal immigration agents those people they arrest who do not have legal status in the United States, which requires less ICE or Border Patrol presence on the streets.
According to Homan, “This is smarter law enforcement, not less enforcement. It’s safer for the communities, for the officers and for the undocumented.
Homan said the Minneapolis operation, which resulted in the shooting deaths of Americans Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents and the arrest of 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, was a “success,” although things could have been done better.
“We have taken a lot of people (criminals, according to his statements) off the streets, so I think it has been very effective in terms of security Has it been a perfect operation? No,” he added.
Homan said he is having a good relationship and productive meetings with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both of whom have sharply criticized the federal deployment as not being conducive to safety and causing tension and preventing citizens from leading normal lives.
Following Pretti’s homicide on Jan. 24, Trump decided to put Homan in charge as he recognized the need to “de-escalate the situation a bit” in a state and city governed by Democrats.
Filed under: Trump removes 700 agents from Minneapolis
With information from EFE
