Trump's border tzar signals possible drawdown in Minnesota

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration has signaled that it could downsize federal forces in Minnesota if there is cooperation from state and local officials, Tom Homan, the president’s border czar, said on Thursday

At a press conference in Minneapolis, Homan vowed to continue the immigration enforcement operation, but added he wants "common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here".

"We are not surrendering our mission at all. We're just doing it smarter," Homan said.

Tom Homan addressed reporters for the first time since the president sent him to Minneapolis following last weekend’s fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti, the second this month by federal officers carrying out the operation.

Homan, who said he wouldn’t address the shootings, emphasized that the administration isn’t relenting on its immigration crackdown and warned that protesters could face consequences if they interfere with federal officers.

He noted that he has “zero tolerance” for protesters who assault federal officers or impede the ongoing operation.

The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have ignited local protests and public outcry across the country, and led to criticism from lawmakers.

It was not clear how many federal forces might leave the city, or when, raising new questions about how far the Trump administration will scale back its operation after the president said he was seeking to "de-escalate" in Minneapolis.

Homan added: "President Trump wants this fixed, and I'm going to fix it."

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have called for a withdrawal of federal agents entirely from the state's capital region. The state has also asked a federal judge to stop "Operation Metro Surge", which involves approximately 3,000 immigration, border patrol and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers.

The administration, meanwhile, has blasted local officials, saying they should work with federal officers and agents and also criticised Minneapolis for having a "sanctuary city policy" that bars city employees from enforcing immigration laws.

Homan on Thursday said changes in the operation would depend on how much state and local officials cooperate with federal authorities, and added the administration disagreed with some of Frey and Walz's demands, but did not specify which ones.

In the hours after Pretti was killed on Saturday, Walz spoke with the White House twice, and since then he and Frey, both Democrats, have had phone calls with Trump.

In general, Homan provided few clues on what changes the administration would be willing to make. He said the federal operation in Minneapolis would be more "targeted", but did not offer more details.

While he pledged to "fix" the crackdown in Minneapolis, Homan also defended the administration's immigration enforcement measures, saying that tightening border security and targeting undocumented immigrants for deportation had made the country safer.

But he seemed to acknowledge there had been missteps.

“I do not want to hear that everything that’s been done here has been perfect. Nothing’s ever perfect,” he said.

In Trump's first year back in office, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is part of DHS, carried out over 480,000 deportations, according to an agency document obtained by the BBC's US partner CBS News.

The figure exceeds the previous high of 410,000 recorded in 2012, when former President Barack Obama was in office. The DHS is currently holding more than 75,000 people in detention, according to the document.

It's unclear whether Homan's remarks on Thursday will appease lawmakers in Washington, though.

Several House and Senate Republicans have called for investigations into the Good and Pretti shootings.

Senate Democrats have threatened a partial government shutdown if a spending package includes new funding for DHS, as well.

On Thursday, seven Senate Republicans joined Democrats in blocking a procedural vote on the spending bill, Senate leaders and the White House then worked on a deal that would remove DHS funding from the package, allowing the government to send money to other agencies and give both sides more time to negotiate a separate spending plan for DHS.

"Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security," Trump wrote on social media

Speaking at a conference for mayors in Washington on Thursday, Frey continued calling for an end to the federal operation in his city. He also visited Capitol Hill. — Agencies

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