Effective immediately, 700 federal immigration officers will leave Minnesota following “unprecedented cooperation” from state and county officials, border czar Tom Homan announced Wednesday morning.  

The “increase in unprecedented collaboration” at the local level means fewer federal agents are needed to make arrests there, Homan explained.

About 2,000 federal immigration agents will stay in Minnesota to arrest illegal aliens. They will remain focused on apprehending illegal aliens with criminal records, but “if you’re in the country illegally, you are not off the table,” the border czar said during the press conference in Minneapolis.  

President Donald Trump deployed Homan to Minneapolis about 10 days ago to oversee the immigration enforcement operation there. Since then, Homan has met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, as well as a number of state and local law enforcement personnel.  

“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets,” Homan said.  

.@RealTomHoman in Minneapolis: "Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration, and as a result of the need of less law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I am announcing effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people." https://t.co/WvZtxhqDOh pic.twitter.com/KRIlclcdyd

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 4, 2026

Minnesota’s state prison system has already been cooperating with federal immigration agents, notifying ICE when an illegal alien is going to be released so federal agents can detain them first. Now some counties are agreeing to do the same, Homan explained.  

ICE is not asking state or county jails or prisons to hold criminal illegal aliens â€œpast their normal release time for immigration purposes,” he said. “We’re not asking anyone to be an immigration officer. We are not asking any state or local officials to do immigration enforcement activity.”  

Homan says he has yet to speak to a sheriff in the state who declined to cooperate with him.  

The drawdown of federal immigration personal should not indicate a policy or priority change, he explained.  

“We’re not surrendering our mission. We’re not walking away from our mission. We’re just making this more effective and more smart,” Homan said. “This is smart law enforcement. Smart law enforcement makes us safer.”  

Homan said he is having ongoing conversations with state and local leaders. The border czar took over the immigration operation in Minnesota from Customs and Border Protection commander Greg Bovino, at Trump’s direction, following two fatal shootings by immigration enforcement agents.  

A Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, on Jan. 24, and an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, on Jan. 7. 

Homan stressed the new increased cooperation between federal immigration officials and state and local officials is “safer for the community, safer for the officers, and safer for the alien.” 

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