MINNEAPOLIS — The top White House official handling negotiations with Minnesota officials about Immigration and Customs Enforcement‘s presence in the state said “great progress” has been made during talks this week, and federal agencies are now working on a “drawdown” plan.
“I have staff from CBP and from ICE working on a drawdown plan,” White House border czar Tom Homan said during a press conference on Thursday. Still, he committed to staying in town until the city, state, and federal government agree on how to move forward following the deaths of two U.S. citizens who protested and interfered in ICE operations.
“This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down the number of people we have here,” Homan said. “Yes, I said it. Draw down the number of people here.”
Homan has met with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and state Attorney General Keith Ellison to discuss how to de-escalate the situation in the state.
“What we did agree about is not to release public safety risks back in the community,” Homan said of the conversations he had with local leaders. “I’m staying ’till the problem’s solved.”
Homan touted that the state prison system under the Department of Corrections has been honoring ICE requests to detain illegal immigrants in custody for them to be transferred in a secure jail setting rather than allowed to be released.
“The Minnesota state prison system, under the Department of Corrections, has been honoring ICE detainers, and we appreciate that important collaboration, and we’re going to expand upon that,” Homan said at an early press conference inside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building.
That cooperation, something that sanctuary cities and states have protested for years, has prompted ICE to go into communities to find criminal illegal immigrants following their release from local and state jails and prisons.
Ellison agreed to possibly begin turning over some illegal immigrants in Minnesota jails to ICE, according to Homan.
“[Ellison] has clarified for me that county jails may notify ICE of the release dates of criminal public safety risks so ICE can take custody upon their release from the jail,” Homan said.
Homan arrived in Minneapolis on Monday evening, two days after protester Alex Pretti was killed in a Border Patrol-involved shooting during immigration enforcement actions on Jan. 24.
Since arriving, Homan has met with Walz, Ellison, Frey, police chiefs, and sheriffs. He said he will continue meetings, including with business and religious leaders.
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In the aftermath of Pretti’s death, the White House moved swiftly to demote Greg Bovino from his post as the Border Patrol official overseeing operations at large with ICE.
Bovino was replaced by Homan, who will oversee the operations from Washington, but will be in the Midwest this week, meeting with local and state police and elected officials to try to strike a deal about working together to apprehend illegal immigrants with criminal histories.
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