Homan Lays Down the Law in Minneapolis: Cooperate with ICE or Federal Agents Stay

MINNEAPOLIS — In a powerful address Thursday morning, White House border czar Tom Homan declared that the Trump administration has made real progress in restoring order in Minneapolis following days of unrest sparked by federal immigration enforcement actions. Homan signaled that federal agents could soon be scaled back — but only if local and state officials fully cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers and enforcement priorities.

Dispatched at the direction of President Donald Trump after a federal agent fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, during an immigration operation that ignited protests across the city, Homan made one thing clear: federal immigration enforcement is not being abandoned. It is being sharpened.

“We are not surrendering our mission at all — we’re just doing it smarter,” Homan said.

Rather than sweeping operations that fuel chaos and confrontation, ICE will now focus on targeted enforcement aimed squarely at criminal illegal immigrants and national security threats. Homan emphasized that this approach protects both agents and the public while preserving the rule of law.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in the last three days,” he said as he opened the press conference. “And that progress comes from one simple thing: cooperation.”

Homan revealed that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison confirmed that state and local jails will notify ICE before releasing illegal immigrants wanted for criminal offenses. That change alone, Homan said, allows federal agents to take custody of dangerous individuals at the jailhouse door rather than tracking them through neighborhoods.

This cooperation, he explained, is what makes a drawdown possible.

“The withdrawal of law enforcement resources here is dependent upon cooperation,” Homan told reporters. “As we see that cooperation happens, then the redeployment will happen.”

Homan confirmed he met individually with Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey earlier this week. Those meetings, he said, produced a framework that replaces street-level chaos with jail-based transfers — a model long supported by law enforcement and border security professionals.

The Trump administration has repeatedly warned so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” that refusing to honor ICE detainers puts American lives at risk. When criminal aliens are released back onto the streets, federal agents are forced to hunt them down in neighborhoods, workplaces, and public spaces — increasing danger for everyone involved.

By contrast, honoring detainers keeps enforcement quiet, controlled, and safe.

“This is how it should work,” Homan said. “Public safety first. Law and order first.”

Homan also condemned left-wing groups that have inflamed tensions and encouraged hostility toward federal agents. He warned that attacks on ICE and Border Patrol will not be tolerated and that those funding or organizing violence will face consequences.

“Justice is coming,” he said.

The unrest in Minneapolis has been driven largely by activist outrage following Pretti’s death. Democrats and progressive groups have attempted to frame the situation as a civil liberties crisis. Homan rejected that narrative outright, arguing that the real crisis is the lawlessness created when cities refuse to enforce immigration law.

For years, Americans watched as the Biden administration allowed the border to collapse, flooding communities with illegal migrants while tying the hands of law enforcement. Under President Trump, that era is over.

The message from Minneapolis is unmistakable: cooperate, and federal presence scales back. Resist, and the federal government stays until the law is enforced.

“If you honor ICE detainers, if you work with us on public safety, then federal agents will step back,” Homan said. “If not, we stay until the problem’s gone.”

For sanctuary cities across America, the warning is clear. The Trump administration will not be bullied by protests, nor will it surrender the nation’s sovereignty. Law and order is back — and this time, it will be enforced.