U.S. border czar says about 700 federal immigration officers to leave Minnesota
CBC
Donald Trump's administration is reducing the number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota, where two local residents were fatally shot last month by federal officers, border czar Tom Homan said on Wednesday.
About 700 federal agents will be withdrawn from the immigration operation around Minnesota, Homan said during a news conference. He was dispatched to the Midwestern state last week amid a furore from local officials and citizens objecting to what they say have been heavy-handed tactics from federal agents, which led to the deaths of two U.S. citizens.
Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed on Jan. 7 by an ICE officer. Alex Pretti, also 37 and a critical-care nurse, was fatally shot on Jan. 24 by two Border Patrol officers. In between the deadly incidents, a federal officer shot another resident in the leg.
Roughly 3,000 federal officers are currently deployed in the state as part of Operation Metro Surge, which began in early December. Homan said those departing would include "a mix" of officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), without detailing specific numbers.
The federal government argued that the surge is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.”
"We've taken a lot of bad people off the street. Everyone should be grateful for that," said Homan.
Homan, who also served in Trump's first administration, highlighted the arrests of people not authorized to be in the U.S. who had been charged with serious offences.
In the immediate aftermath of the fatal shootings, several Trump administration officials sought to depict the shootings as legally justified, while painting Good and Pretti as activists preventing officers from doing their jobs. Multiple videos that emerged of the shootings contradicted some of the claims.
It was only this week that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced that all ICE and CBP officers on the ground will be issued body-worn cameras to help provide accountability.
Democrats have been demanding changes to rein in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. Congress is discussing potential new rules for ICE and CBP officers in the wake of the two deadly Minneapolis, which followed a fatal shooting in Chicago last year amid the second Trump administration's deportation efforts.
But it's unclear if the president or enough congressional Republicans will agree to any of the Democrats' larger demands, which include that the officers unmask and identify themselves, and obtain judicial warrants in specific cases.
Homan said Wednesday that a "complete drawdown" to a pre-surge number of officers was contingent upon the end of what he called activities targeting ICE officers, including the setting up of road blockades.
He said there are nearly 160 cases involving persons charged with intimidating or impeding federal officers.
Despite Homan's arrival and the recall of divisive high-profile commander Greg Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol, tensions in Minnesota remain high.
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