White House border czar Tom Homan announced a reduction of federal agents in Minnesota on Wednesday.
Homan made the announcement at a news conference, adding the change is possible thanks to “unprecedented cooperation” from local law enforcement, Fox News reported.
Homan said 700 federal agents would be leaving the Twin Cities. He added the ultimate goal is a “complete drawdown” of federal presence.
Watch:
Homan highlighted meetings he had with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. He urged them to allow local jails to communicate with federal law enforcement regarding when they planned to release illegal immigrants.
“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets. Unprecedented cooperation,” Homan said. “I’ll say it again: This is efficient, and it requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target, rather than eight or 10 officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat.”
Homan said the practice was safer for officers, the community as well as the migrants.
“Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration, and as a result of less need for law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I have announced immediately we will draw down 700 people effective today,” he said.
Homan noted federal authorities are not requiring jails to hold illegal migrants longer than needed.
“We’re not asking anyone to be an immigration officer,” he said.
President Donald Trump sent Homan to Minneapolis last week after federal agents shot and killed anti-ICE agitator Alex Pretti.
Pretti was the second protester to be killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in January.
