Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said on Wednesday that the federal government would immediately withdraw 700 law enforcement officers from Minneapolis, scaling down the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the area.
The change comes after the Trump administration sent thousands of federal officers and agents to Minnesota, a deployment that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said was the agency’s “largest operation to date.” About 2,000 officers and agents would be left in the state, Mr. Homan said.
Mr. Homan said that federal officials in Minnesota had made significant progress working with state and local officials, despite some differences. An “unprecedented number of counties” were cooperating with federal officials and allowing ICE to take custody of unauthorized immigrants before they are released from jails, he added.
It was unclear what policy changes might have been agreed to by counties.
The cooperation, Mr. Homan said, had provided a “safer environment” for immigration officers to conduct arrests, allowing for fewer officers in the region.
“This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement,” he added.
Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, a Democrat, said in a statement that the reduction in officers was “a step in the right direction” but that 2,000 federal officers in the region was still “not de-escalation.”
“My message to the White House has been consistent — Operation Metro Surge has been catastrophic for our businesses and residents. It needs to end immediately,” he said, referring to the name of the federal crackdown in the city.
Mr. Homan also emphasized that immigration officers would focus on more targeted enforcement operations that prioritize arresting criminals who pose public safety threats. Last week, Mr. Homan said that was “the way we’ve always done it,” but that “we got away from it a little bit.”
Still, he said that any immigrants residing in the country illegally would not be exempt from enforcement operations.
“If you are in the country illegally, you are not off the table,” Mr. Homan said.
He said that President Trump was still committed to his mass deportation agenda.
“Immigration enforcement actions will continue everyday throughout this country,” Mr. Homan said.
Mr. Trump tasked Mr. Homan with taking over the enforcement operation in Minnesota last week, days after Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse, was fatally shot by officers with Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Pretti’s killing worsened tensions in the region and prompted some Republicans to criticize the Trump administration’s operations.
The administration also decided last week to move Gregory Bovino, a top Border Patrol official whose enforcement tactics have drawn controversy, out of the Minneapolis region.
Mr. Homan said on Wednesday that there would also be a reorganization of law enforcement officers on the ground. Agents from Customs and Border Protection and from Immigration and Customs Enforcement would now be under “one unified chain of command.”
“Any large enforcement operation that I’ve ever been involved with, there’s one chain of command, and that’s where we’re moving forward,” he said.
Mr. Homan also said that federal officials discovered a “gap in regard to the use of body-worn cameras,” which led to the Department of Homeland Security’s decision on Monday to equip every officer in Minneapolis with one. Mr. Homan said that some officers and agents had body cameras, while others did not.
“That inconsistency was unacceptable,” Mr. Homan said. “The president is supportive of this decision because we have nothing to hide.”
Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said this week that the body camera program would expand nationwide as funding is available.
Mitch Smith contributed reporting.
Madeleine Ngo covers immigration and economic policy for The Times.
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