MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that the Trump administration is ending an immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has led to thousands of arrests, violent protests and the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens over the past two months.
The operation, billed as the Department of Homeland Security’s “largest-ever immigration enforcement operation,” has been at the center of debate over President Donald Trump’s mass deportation drive, which has flared up after Renee Goode and Alex Pretty were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation focused on Minneapolis-St. Homan said more than 4,000 people were arrested in the Sao Paulo area, calling the operation a success.
“Surges make Minnesota safer,” he said. “I repeat, this is not a haven for criminals.”
The announcement marks a major retreat from an operation that has become a major distraction for the Trump administration and has been more volatile than previous crackdowns in Chicago and Los Angeles. A new Associated Press-NORC poll finds that a majority of U.S. adults say Trump’s immigration policies go too far.
But Trump’s border czar promised that immigration enforcement would not end after Operation Minnesota ends.
“President Trump promised mass deportations, and that’s what this country is going to get,” Homan said.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday that he expects the surge in metros that began in December to end in “days, not weeks or months,” based on conversations he had with senior Trump administration officials.
“The long road to recovery begins now,” Walz posted on social media after Homan made the announcement. “The impact on our economy, schools and people’s lives will not be reversed overnight. The work starts today.”
Some activists expressed relief at Homan’s announcement but warned the fight was not over. Lisa Erbus, leader of the progressive protest group Indivisible Twin Cities, said officials must be held accountable for the chaos caused by the crackdown.
“People have died. Families have been torn apart,” Elbus said. “We can’t just say this is over and forget the pain and suffering that the people of Minnesota have endured.”
While the Trump administration has called those arrested in Minnesota “dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” many people with no criminal records, including children and U.S. citizens, have also been detained.
Homan announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately, but more than 2,000 remain on Minnesota streets. At the time, he cited an “unprecedented increase in cooperation” that resulted in Minnesota needing fewer federal officials, including help from prisons holding deportable inmates.
Homan said Thursday he intends to stay in Minnesota and oversee the drawdown that began this week and will continue next week.
Homan said the mass evacuations occurred as street protests began to subside.
“We’ve seen a huge change here in the last few weeks,” he said, praising local leaders for their cooperation.
At the height of the surge, heavily armed police met resistance from residents unhappy with their aggressive tactics.
“They think they can destroy us, but love for their neighbors and a determination to endure can outlast the occupation,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on social media. “These patriots in Minneapolis are showing that it’s more than just resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American.”
Homan took over the Minnesota operation in late January after a second fatal shooting of federal immigration agents and growing political backlash and questions about how the business was run.
“We’re basically in a trust-but-verify mode,” Walz said Tuesday, adding that he expected to hear more from the administration “in the next day or so” about the future of what he called an “occupation” and “retaliation campaign” against the country.
