Tom Homan Orders Withdrawal Of 700 Minnesota Officers
Tom Homan said DHS will withdraw 700 immigration officers effective Feb. 4 while about 2,000 agents will remain in Operation Metro Surge.
FOX NewsTrump says immigration crackdown needs 'softer touch' with 'tough' stance after deadly Minneapolis shootings
Boston GlobeTrump's border czar pulling 700 immigration officers out of Minnesota immediately
CBS NewsTrump says the lesson from Minneapolis is to use a "softer touch" in federal immigration enforcement
Washington ExaminerTrump takes credit for ICE drawdown in Minnesota
Overview
Tom Homan, White House border czar, announced Feb. 4 that the Department of Homeland Security will withdraw 700 immigration officers from Operation Metro Surge effective immediately, he said.
The drawdown follows the Jan. 7 death of Renée Nicole Good and the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, incidents marked by conflicting accounts and nationwide protests, officials said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the drawdown "a step in the right direction" while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said keeping about 2,000 officers "is not a de-escalation," their offices said.
Homan said roughly 3,000 officers took part and DHS recorded about 3,000 arrests, including 14 homicide charges, 139 assault charges and 87 sexual-offense charges, a tally he said has not been independently verified.
Homan said a full withdrawal will require sustained county and jail cooperation and that DHS plans to deploy body-worn cameras and return the field office to about 150 agents, officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources collectively frame the story as a political and humanitarian backlash to aggressive immigration enforcement, using editorial language that highlights the administration’s vulnerability, foregrounds deaths and bipartisan outrage, and elevates local officials’ and families’ condemnations and polling data while placing administration statements in defensive contexts.
FAQ
Operation Metro Surge is a federal immigration enforcement operation initiated in December 2025 by DHS, deploying about 3,000 armed agents from ICE and CBP to the Twin Cities in Minnesota for arrests targeting immigration violations and serious crimes.
Tom Homan announced the withdrawal of 700 officers effective February 4, 2026, following incidents including the January 7 death of Renée Nicole Good and the January 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, amid conflicting accounts and protests.
The operation involved roughly 3,000 officers who recorded about 3,000 arrests, including 14 homicide charges, 139 assault charges, and 87 sexual-offense charges, though the tally has not been independently verified.
Governor Tim Walz called the drawdown 'a step in the right direction,' while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated that keeping about 2,000 officers 'is not a de-escalation.'
A federal judge denied a preliminary injunction sought by Minnesota AG Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul to halt the operation, allowing it to continue amid ongoing legal challenges claiming constitutional violations.