Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s “border czar” now overseeing immigration enforcement in Minnesota, said Wednesday that 700 officers would be reassigned from the area, one week after announcing that immigration enforcement agents would be more targeted.
Officials previously said there were nearly 3,000 agents in the Twin Cities region involved in immigration enforcement. Even with an estimated 2,300 agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with Customs and Border Patrol, will keep a significant force in the Twin Cities region.
Homan took charge of immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota days after Customs and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino was reassigned following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24. Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis — the second fatal shooting involving federal agents in the city last month.
"I want to be clear, just because you prioritize public safety doesn't mean we forget about everybody else. We will continue to enforce the immigration laws in this country," he said.
