Border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that the Trump administration is ending a massive crackdown on immigration that has swept through the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and other Minnesota communities.
The crackdown, which the Department of Homeland Security called its “largest immigration operation ever,” led to thousands of arrests, angry mass protests and the fatal shootings of two American citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Homan wrote on X: “Given the success we’ve had here, I’ve previously announced that I’ve proposed—and the president has agreed—to shut down this sting operation.”
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“It leaves Minnesota safer,” Homan was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. “I’ll say it again: It’s less of a haven for criminals,” he added.
But he said. “Our officers/agents deployed here will continue immigration enforcement actions in other locations across the country to meet the President’s goals of securing the border and conducting mass deportations.
Homan told one media house: “We will still have hundreds of special agents here to draw on the frauds here from the Somali community… This ends the wave, but we are not going away… If we have to go back, we will go back.”
The governor calls for extra vigilance
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz urged residents to remain vigilant in the coming days as immigration officials prepare to leave, saying he would not express gratitude to Trump administration officials who have caused “this needless, unwarranted and in many cases unconstitutional attack on our state.”
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“It’s going to be a long road,” Walz said at a press conference. “Minnesotans are decent, caring, loving neighbors, and they’re also some of the toughest people you’ll find. And we’re in it for as long as it takes.”
The governor proposed a $10 million aid package for businesses that suffered and called on Washington to help finance the recovery.
“You can’t break things and then just walk away without doing something about it,” he said.
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Homan was vague about the timeline for the drawdown, but Walz said Homan assured him officers would begin leaving immediately.
“We’ll help you get to the airport,” the governor said. “We’ll clear a path to get to the airport. I’ll pack your damn bags if need be.”
The dispute over homeland security funding continues
Homan’s announcement came as Democratic lawmakers are demanding restrictions on immigration officials before they agree to fund DHS. The Trump administration is scrambling to secure votes in Congress to prevent federal funding from expiring at the end of the week.
Walz, a former congressman, said the announcement doesn’t make him any more ready to support restoring DHS funding. He added that he is in contact with Democratic leaders in both houses of Congress and is urging them to “hold the line until you get at least the minimum reforms necessary in this rogue agency.”
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In Washington, Republican Sen. Rand Paul said the Minneapolis shooting changed the way some Americans saw the crackdown on immigration.
“It’s abundantly clear that the public’s trust has been lost,” the Kentucky senator said at Thursday’s hearing. “To restore trust in ICE and the Border Patrol, they must admit their mistakes, be honest and forthright about their rules of engagement, and commit to reform.”
Homan says the wave will end, but not the enforcement
“President Trump promised mass deportation, and that’s what this country is going to get,” Homan said.
Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, said during the hearing that the agency is still looking for about 16,840 people in Minnesota with final removal orders.
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Homan took over the operation in late January after the second fatal shooting of Pretti and amid growing political backlash over how the operation was being run by Gregory Bovino, a proud senior Border Patrol official who has become the public face of the crackdown.
‘Don’t believe what they say’
Later Thursday, Sheila Rzepecki was among the people who visited a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, an array of candles, posters, flowers and cards left at the site of her shooting.
Her son is disabled, she said, and his health care provider, who is from Colombia, was too afraid to leave her home, even though he is in the U.S. legally.
“This is the fear they put into such wonderful people in our community,” Rzepecki said.
She rejected claims the surge had left the region safer, saying: “The people they’re rounding up are the people who are so important to our community. Don’t believe what they say.”
Many activists said the fight was not over. Lisa Erbes, leader of the protest group Indivisible Twin Cities, said officials must be held accountable.
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“People died. Families were torn apart,” Erbes said. “We can’t just say it’s over and forget about the pain and suffering that was inflicted on the people of Minnesota.”
In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in the afternoon to discuss ways to protect immigrants.
“They thought they could break us, but love for our fellow man and determination to persevere can outlast employment,” Frey said on social media. “These Minneapolis patriots show it’s not just about resistance — standing with our neighbors is deeply American.”