Border czar Tom Homan said Minnesota state leaders acknowledged the legitimacy of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and agreed county jails are permitted to notify ICE when criminal offenders are being released, following meetings this week with Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and local law enforcement officials.
“One thing we all agreed on,” Homan said in his first press conference since arriving in Minnesota on Monday, “is that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a legitimate law enforcement agency that has a duty to enforce the laws enacted by Congress.”
Homan said the meetings resulted in what he described as progress on public safety, even though disagreements remain.
“We didn’t agree on everything,” he said. “I didn’t expect to agree on everything.”
He said the purpose of the meetings was to move past disagreements and focus on practical solutions.
“I came here to seek solutions and that’s what I’m going to do,” Homan said.
“I’m not here because the federal government has carried this mission out perfectly,” he added. “Nothing is ever perfect and anything could be improved on, and what we’ve been working on is making this operation safer and more efficient.”
WATCH: Border Czar Tom Homan today in Minnesota: “The organization and the funding of the attacks on ICE … they’ll be held accountable. Justice is coming.
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His arrival comes following the fatal shootings by federal agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, which led to protests and riots.
Jail transfers
Homan said Ellison clarified that county jails are permitted to notify ICE when criminal offenders are being released.
“I had a very good meeting with Attorney General Ellison,” Homan said. “He has clarified for me that county jails may notify ICE of release dates of criminal public safety risks so ICE can take custody of them upon their release from the jail.”
Homan said allowing ICE to take custody inside jails is simply “common sense” and safer for everyone involved.
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“It’s safer for the community. It’s safer for the agent. And it’s safer for the alien,” he said. “Anything can happen on a street arrest.”
He added that arrests conducted inside jails reduce the need for large federal operations.
“What could be done with one person in the safety and security of a jail now we’ve got 15 or 16 people out there doing it,” Homan said. “That causes stress in the community.”
‘ICE is legitimate law enforcement’
Homan said Minnesota officials acknowledged ICE’s authority despite political rhetoric, including Gov. Walz’s past comments that ICE is “not law enforcement.”
Homan emphasized that ICE’s role is mandated by federal statute.
“We’re not making this up,” Homan said. “These are laws enacted by Congress.”
Criticism of sanctuary policies
Homan criticized jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
“Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals,” he said. “And they endanger the residents of the community.”
He said cooperation from city and state law enforcement reduces repeat arrests and improves officer safety.
“Rather than arresting the same public safety threat over and over again, [law enforcement] agrees to work with us to identify those people and remove them,” Homan said.
Biden-era border policies
Homan repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for what he described as a historic failure at the southern border.
“More than 10 million illegal aliens entered this nation — many were national security threats and public safety threats,” he said. “Two million known gotaways.”
“That should scare the hell out of everybody.”
He said the border crisis fueled crime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.
“We had women being raped by criminal cartels,” Homan said. “We had children dying crossing the border.”
He said the current administration is working to undo the damage done by the Biden administration.
“We’re just trying to respond to what happened the last four years and keep this country safe.”
Targeted enforcement
Homan also said “all operations will be targeted” and that the priority will be “criminal aliens, public safety threats, and national security threats.”
However, he added that prioritization does not mean ignoring immigration law.
“Prioritization of criminal aliens doesn’t mean that we forget about everybody else,” Homan said. “We are not surrendering the president’s mission.”
Drawdown tied to cooperation
Homan said federal agents could be reduced in Minnesota if cooperation continues.
“The drawdown is going to happen based on these agreements,” he said, noting that the “drawdown will come soon depending on when I see this in play.”
“More agents in the jail means less agents in the street,” he explained.
Homan also warned that rhetoric targeting law enforcement has consequences.
“I don’t want to see anybody die,” he said, emphasizing that ICE’s mission is public safety. “I say a prayer every night that everybody goes home safe.”
He added: “I’m staying until the problem is gone.”
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