Sawt Falasteen - US border chief says not 'surrendering' immigration mission in Minneapolis

"We're going to make sure we do targeted enforcement operations," Tom Homan told reporters. "We are not surrendering our mission at all. We're just doing it smarter."

"President Trump wants this fixed. And I'm going to fix it."

The border chief called on Minnesota's residents to turn down the temperature and stop what he called "hateful rhetoric" against federal agents carrying out immigration raids.

Minneapolis has been gripped by weeks of protests against the roundup of undocumented migrants by masked and heavily armed federal agents. Two Americans demonstrating against the sweeps have been shot dead by officers.

Homan struck a conciliatory tone at his first press conference, a marked difference from the Border Patrol commander who was previously heading the mission on the ground and has since been removed.

"Community safety is paramount," Homan said. "The mission is going to improve because of the changes we're making internally.

"President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made," he said. "That's exactly what I'm doing here."

Homan said his staff is "working on a drawdown plan" for some of the more than 3,000 federal agents who have been taking part in what the Trump administration has dubbed "Operation Metro Surge."

Increased cooperation from authorities in the Democratic-run state is key, he said.

One such measure, for example, would be notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents about the release dates of incarcerated migrants considered "criminal public safety risks" so they can be detained by ICE, he said.

"More agents in the jail means less agents in the street," Homan said. "This is commonsense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here."

Steven Gagner, a 41-year-old jewelry designer and "citizen observer" in Minneapolis, was skeptical about the drawdown.

"We'll believe it when we see it, because this administration has proven time and time again that they just lie to us and they do not really hold themselves or anyone else accountable," he told AFP.

- 'Will be dealt with' -

Homan declined to comment on the latest shooting in Minneapolis by federal agents -- that of 37-year-old Veterans Hospital nurse Alex Pretti -- saying he would "let the investigation play out and see where it goes."

The two agents involved in Saturday's shooting have been placed on leave and Homan said any federal agents who breach standards of conduct "will be dealt with."

Trump has scrambled to stem outrage across the political aisle over Pretti's killing and that of another protestor, Renee Good, saying Tuesday he wanted to "de-escalate a little bit" in Minneapolis.

But the president on Wednesday accused the city's mayor Jacob Frey of "PLAYING WITH FIRE" for refusing to rally local police to enforce the federal immigration sweeps.

The political battle has landed in Congress, where Democrats are threatening to hold up swaths of government funding if reforms are not made to rein in the sprawling paramilitary-style immigration agencies.

In another challenge to Trump's immigration crackdown, a federal judge ruled Wednesday to halt the detention of refugees in Minnesota awaiting permanent resident status and ordered the release of those in custody.

Meanwhile, another federal judge slammed ICE chief Todd Lyons, claiming he "has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence."

The White House initially justified Saturday's fatal shooting of Pretti with Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem calling him a "domestic terrorist."

But a widespread backlash forced Trump to shuffle leadership of operations in Minneapolis, replacing Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino with Homan.

S.Barghouti--SF-PST