By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• White House border czar Tom Homan announced the immediate withdrawal of about 700 federal immigration enforcement officers from Minnesota.
• The reduction follows agreements by some state and local officials to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
• Approximately 2,000 federal officers will remain deployed in the state after the drawdown.
• The larger federal operation in Minnesota has drawn sustained protests and criticism following fatal shootings by federal agents.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — White House border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that about 700 federal immigration enforcement officers will leave Minnesota immediately as part of a reduction in the scope of a large federal deployment.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Homan said the partial drawdown comes after state and local officials agreed to cooperate by notifying federal authorities about certain detainees, allowing some immigration enforcement actions to shift from street operations to custody settings.
The reduction affects roughly a quarter of the approximately 3,000 federal officers deployed earlier as part of an expanded immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. Roughly 2,000 officers are expected to remain in the state following the withdrawal.
Officials have repeatedly faced protests and public criticism following confrontations between federal agents and local residents, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during immigration enforcement operations in January.
Homan did not specify a full timeline for further reductions, saying broader drawdowns would depend on continued cooperation from state and local law enforcement.