Border Czar Addresses Attacks on ICE
Tom Homan, the Border Czar, promised on Thursday that far-left groups responsible for funding and coordinating assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel will face repercussions.
“I won’t delve deeply into the organization and financing of these attacks on ICE, but they will be held accountable. Justice will prevail,” he stated during a news conference held in Minneapolis.
Homan also criticized the harsh language aimed at ICE and other immigration enforcement officials, urging a need for a calmer approach. “For the last two months, I’ve been pleading on television for the rhetoric to cease. Back in March, I warned that if it didn’t stop, there could be bloodshed. And, unfortunately, it occurred. I truly hope I’m wrong, but I don’t want to see anyone lose their life,” he expressed.
The border czar, sent to Minnesota earlier this week by President Trump, explained that reducing hostility toward the federal government could enable the administration to decrease its presence in the city more than initially planned.
Homan indicated that future resource cuts in Minnesota would stem from conversations with state leaders, including Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
“After discussions with the governor and his team, we can start withdrawing these resources,” he mentioned, adding that federal authorities would then focus on illegal immigrants who are criminals in a “much smaller population of prisons.”
He noted, “So, there will be reductions based on these agreements, but the reductions could be even more significant if the hateful rhetoric and obstruction cease.”
Border officials have been keen to access local prisons in Minnesota as part of the agreement to lessen field staffing. Homan didn’t specify how significant the cuts would be, emphasizing that it “depended on cooperation” from local authorities, warning that redeployment would happen if collaboration faltered.
Currently, there are about 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, significantly outweighing the local police force, which consists of approximately 600 officers.
Homan, who committed to remaining in his role “until the problem is resolved,” proclaimed, “We’ve made notable progress” since being dispatched to the troubled city by President Trump.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has openly criticized the Trump administration’s Metro Surge operation, claiming that federal authorities essentially expect local officials to handle immigration enforcement. Homan reaffirmed that this was not their intention.
“To clarify, we did not agree to involve Minnesota state and local officials in immigration enforcement,” he stated. “I’m requesting that they act as police officers collaborating with us to remove criminal aliens from the streets.”
Under Homan’s newly outlined approach, the federal government would carry out more focused operations, specifically targeting criminal illegal immigrants, although he emphasized that no one residing in the U.S. illegally would be exempt.
“If illegal immigrants are present, it remains a possibility,” Homan cautioned, asserting, “We’re not abandoning our mission whatsoever; we’re simply being smarter about it.”
