Minneapolis ICE shootings: US border czar Tom Homan says agents will be more 'targeted'
US border czar Tom Homan, newly installed as commander of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, says federal agents will focus on “targeted” operations, shifting away from the broad street sweeps that have drawn outrage.
Mr Homan also said he would reduce the 3,000-strong force of agents deployed to the city if he received “co-operation” from state and local leaders, noting that he has had productive meetings with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both vocal critics of the surge.
“We can do better,” he said, in a rare acknowledgement from an administration official that the operation has not been perfect.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“We made some significant gains, significant coordination and cooperation, and you’re going to see some massive changes occurring here in this city.”
Mr Homan’s public remarks - his first since Mr Trump dispatched him to the city on Monday in response to an outcry across the country - suggested a continued effort to de-escalate from the administration, which has been under intensifying political pressure after two US citizens were shot dead by federal agents.
A newly issued internal memo from a high-ranking Immigration and Customs Enforcement official directs federal officers to refrain from any unnecessary communication and engagement with “agitators” so as to avoid “inflaming the situation”.
The directive, reviewed by Reuters late on Wednesday, also orders ICE officers to only target immigrants who have records of criminal charges or convictions, a departure from earlier tactics that included randomly stopping people on the street to demand documented proof of legal US residence or citizenship.
Echoing that directive, Mr Homan said agents would prioritise those who pose a threat to public safety or national security although he was careful to emphasise that the administration remains committed to deporting any and all immigrants living in the country illegally.
“We’re not surrendering our mission at all, we’re just doing it smarter,” he said.
He also pushed for more access to Minnesota jails for ICE agents so they can pick up targeted immigrants when they are released from local custody, which he said would lessen the need for more disruptive and dangerous street sweeps.
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Minneapolis criticised ICE on Wednesday for violating at least 96 court orders in 74 separate cases.
“This list should give pause to anyone - no matter his or her political beliefs - who cares about the rule of law,” US District Judge Patrick Schiltz, the chief federal judge in Minnesota, wrote in a filing.
“ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2025 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St Paul, have been the scene of widespread demonstrations since Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot dead behind the wheel of her car by an ICE agent on January 7.
Public outrage deepened further after Saturday’s fatal shooting of an intensive care nurse, Alex Pretti, also 37, as he recorded immigration agents along with other protesters.
Notably, Mr Homan declined to offer his opinion on the shootings on Thursday, saying he would let the investigations play out.
New videos that have come to light show US immigration agents held Mr Pretti down after he kicked out the back light of their vehicle in a Minneapolis protest, 11 days before he was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers.
The January 13 scuffle was captured in a pair of videos that show Mr Pretti shouting an expletive at the federal officers, appearing to spit at them and struggling with them.
His winter coat comes off when he’s on the ground and he either breaks free or the officers let him go and he scurries away.
When he turns his back to the camera, what appears to be a handgun is visible in his waistband.
At no point do the videos show Mr Pretti reaching for the gun and it is unclear whether the federal agents saw it.
A person with knowledge of the incident confirmed to the Associated Press that the man in the videos is Mr Pretti and that he had told his family of the confrontation.
with Reuters
