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Border Czar Tom Homan Knocks it out of the Park on Plans for Minneapolis Illegal Immigrant Enforcement
WATCH LIVE ｜ U.S. Border czar Tom Homan addressing media for first time since arriving in Minnesota
Good morning. Too early, too early. Look, I've been giving talking points, and I don't like reading speeches. Never have. But my chief of staff did put some stuff down here in writing just to make sure I don't miss anything. So I'm going to be reading a little bit, and then we're going to open up for questions. Uh, we've I've been on the ground less than three full days. I got in here Monday. Um, president of the United States called me Monday morning and asked me to deploy here. Um, got here Monday evening, and I'm staying. So the problem is gone. Um, but we've made a lot of progress. A lot of progress in the last few days. Marcus. Charles, he's running ice operations here. There you go. Rodney Scott, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, standing here beside me. Good morning, I'm Tom Holman. Borders are for President Trump. I'm here on behalf of the president, along with US commissioners, commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection Rodney Scott and Marcus Charles, who's leading the enforcement effort here right now. I've been on the ground since Monday to regain law and order in the city, beloved by many, and work together to remove threats from the community. During the past administration, well remember more than 10 million illegal aliens entered this nation. Many were national security threats, public safety threats. We can't remember. Over 2 million. 2 million known got aways. 2 million people. We paid more to get away. Why? That should scare the hell out of everybody.
President Trump promised the American people, including the residents of Minnesota, that he would work to ensure our communities are safe. And with that, this administration has absolutely focused on identifying removal aliens that pose a public safety threat and national security threats. And the numbers prove it. The data proves it. In the past few days, I've met with Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison, Mayor Frey, numerous police chiefs and sheriffs and I have more to meet. I'll also be continuing the dialogue with business and religious leaders in partnership with Minnesota, your communities. I'll be meeting with them, too, because I want to hear what they have to say in my meetings with folks so far, and most importantly, the governor and the AG, the mayor Frey, we didn't agree on everything. I didn't expect to agree on anything. I've heard many people want to know why we're talking to people who they don't consider friends. Administration. Bottom line is you can't fix problems if you don't have discussions. I didn't come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines. You haven't seen me. I came here to seek solutions. And that's what we're going to do. And we we we we we've come a long way and we got some good wins for the people of Minnesota, I think. And for the administration and for the safety and security of this city. One thing we did agree on, though, everybody I talked to agreed on was that community safety is paramount. One thing we all agreed on was US immigration and Customs Enforcement is a legitimate law enforcement agency that has a duty to enforce the laws enacted by Congress and keep this community safe.
Like I've said many times for the last several years, even before this administration. Jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities are sanctuaries for criminals. Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals and endangers the residents of the community. To be clear, we did not agree with Minnesota's state and local officials that they would be involved in immigration enforcement. I didn't ask them to be immigration officers. I'm asking them to be cops working with the cops to help us take criminal aliens off the street. What we did agree upon is not to release public safety risk back in the community, and they could be lawfully transferred. Ice. I'll speak more about that. I will highlight that the Minnesota State prison system, under the Department of Corrections have been honoring Ice detainers, and we appreciate the important collaboration, and we're going to expand upon that. That decision has made Minnesota safer not only for residents of Minnesota, but the men and women of law enforcement, not just ice all law enforcement, rather than arresting the same public safety threat, significant public safety threat over and over again. They agree to work with us to identify those people and remove them. I'm also pleased to announce I had a very good meeting with Attorney General, Attorney General Ellison. And he has clarified for me that county jails may notify us of the release dates of criminal public safety risks so Ice can take custody of them upon their release from the jail.
And let me tell you why that's important. I know people are concerned about the manpower has been sent in law enforcement manpower. Look, I've said this many times before. I've said it for the last several years. Give us access to the illegal alien public safety threat and the safety and security of a jail. It's common sense. It's safer for the community. It's safer for the agent, and it's safer for the alien because anything can happen on the street or us. It just makes common sense. And for the people that argue, well, we're a welcoming community because we want victims and witnesses of crime that are here illegally to feel safe, to come to police without fear. They're working with Ice. We're not going to talk to the victim. Witness of crime. There's no problem there. They should feel safe to come to the police and ask for help. All we want is to talk to the person that local and state law enforcement authorities locked in a jail cell. They chose to lock this person up. That's who we want to talk to. The public safety threat. So the argument is that protects victim witnesses of crime. But it's a bunch of crap Victims and witnesses. Witnesses of crime don't want the bad guy back in their neighborhood either. So great progress were there with the attorney general and local sheriffs.
In one thing, when we when we have these agreements, it takes less law enforcement agents to do the job. One agent can arrest one bad guy. And the safety and security of a jail where he's behind the wire. We know we don't have weapons, but when you normally release that public safety threat, illegal alien back in the community, we have a job to do. We're going to arrest them. So we're going to find them. And what happens is now we got arrest somebody on his turf we have access to who knows what weapons. Now we got to send a whole team out. Cover the back door. Cover the front door. Officer safety reasons, then? Because of of the hateful rhetoric and the attacks on Ice officers. Now we got to send a security team behind the arrest team. So what could have been done with one person? The safety and security jail. Now we got 15, 16 people out there doing it. I know that causes stress in the community. So if we get these agreements in place. That means less agents on the street, more agents in the jail means less agents in the street. This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here. Yes, I said it. Draw down the number of people here because we have the efficiency and safety of the jails in the prison. Matter of fact, I have staff from CBP and from Ice working on a draw down plan.
What does that look like based on the cooperation? What does that look like based on how many targets we have left to find? In my meetings with Governor Wallace AG Ellison, and Mayor Frey, as well as state and local law enforcement. Again, I appreciate the all acknowledge that we do have federal immigration laws in this country that have been passed by Congress, and that Ice is, in fact, a legitimate law enforcement agency charged with enforcing those laws. We're not making this up, folks. Ice is enforcing the laws enacted by Congress. They're a federal statute. That said, I'm not here because of the federal government has carried this mission out perfectly. First thing I said to senior staff when I walked in here, this is what I told you. I didn't come here looking for photo ops or headlines. I come here looking for solutions. I do not want to hear that. Everything's been done here has been perfect. Nothing's ever perfect. Anything being moved on. And what we've been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient by the book. The mission is going to improve because of the changes we're making it internally. No agency organization is perfect. President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made. That's exactly what I'm doing here. As such, in meetings I've had with federal law enforcement managers, including Ice and CBP and other federal partners, as well as state and local officials, I have conveyed the president's expectations with regard to federal immigration enforcement efforts.
We will conduct targeted enforcement operations, targeted. What have we done for decades. When we hit the streets, we know exactly who we're looking for. Good idea where we may find them. You have a criminal history. You have their immigration history. A lot of information about this person that we get from numerous databases out there. Targeted strategic enforcement operations. That's traditionally been the case. And that's where we're going. That's where we're going to continue to do and improve upon that. With the prioritization on public safety threats. I want to be clear. I don't read a lot of social media. I don't read a lot of media. I don't believe half what I see. We are not surrendering the president's mission and immigration enforcement. Let's make that clear. Prioritization of criminal aliens doesn't mean we forget about everybody else. That's just simply ridiculous. But when you have a criminal standing here and a noncriminal standing there, that criminal always should be targeted first, because he's a significant concern to the safety and security of the of the community by at large. For decades, Ice and CBP have carried out their duties with integrity, professionalism and compassion. That remains the expectation under President Trump. And we will I will hold our agents and officers to that standard. I'm almost done and time can be time. As far as the agitators. That said, I want to reiterate and make very clear. I want to make it clear all CBP officers are performing their duties in a challenging environment under tremendous circumstances, but they're trying to do it with professionalism.
If they don't, they'll be dealt with like any other federal agency. We have standards of conduct. They are sworn law enforcement officers working tirelessly to enforce our country's border security, immigration laws, protecting the interests of our country, and preventing dangerous people from walking the streets of this nation when they're not supposed to be here to begin with. Men and women. I was a Border Patrol agent. I was an Ice agent. I was the first Ice director came up through the ranks. I spent over 40 years doing this. These men and women that carry that badge and gun are American patriots. They put themselves on the line for this nation every day. I want you to remember, they don't hang their badge. They don't hang their heart on a hook. Every day they come to work. They're mothers and fathers to their sons and daughters to. And if they see a fraction of the tragedies I've seen in my career, They take a lot of damage home every day. The things they've seen, especially on the border. The Border Patrol agents, people drowning in the river. Women being raped by criminal cartels, giving CPR, CPR to a baby that was thrown in the river by the cartels because Border Patrol came too close. So let's throw the baby in the river that way. The Border Patrol was concentrating on that so I can get away.
These men and women see some terrible things, but I want you to remember their mothers and fathers. Too many of them are members of this community. God bless every one of them. The hostile rhetoric and dangerous threats and hate must stop. And we all agreed to that. Everybody here today, we got we gotta stop the rhetoric, the hateful rhetoric that has caused an increase in assaults, that is caused because of that, have to send security teams out with arrest teams, which serves the city with additional resources because of the rhetoric, because of the threats, because of the assaults, Again with the agreements we've achieved in voluntary agreements, where the rhetoric dropping down that allows us to pull more agents out once we feel the environment is safer. I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March, if the rhetoric didn't stop, there's going to be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't see anybody die. Not officers, not members of the community and not the targets of our operations. Were the people out there don't like what I was doing? If you want certain laws reformed and take it up with Congress again, ISIS making this up. They're enforcing laws enacted by Congress and signed by president. The same laws have been on the books for the last six presidents I worked for. I started with President Reagan and ending with President Trump. Every administration, we enforce the same laws. If you don't like what ISIS is doing, instead of protesting this building, go to protest Congress.
Somebody want to change this? You have your First Amendment rights. I support that you have the right to protest. I'm just asking you to keep it peaceful. But threatening law enforcement officers, engaging in impeding and obstruction and assault is never okay. And there will be zero tolerance. You interfere, impede assault and Ice officers. You will be arrested. Like I said a bit earlier, my meetings with Governor Walz and Ellison and Frey, as well as state and local law enforcement. I appreciate they acknowledged this, that public safety should be paramount. The chiefs I've talked to are committed to responding to 911 calls when protesters turned violent. Agents are in a dangerous situation and there's assaults. They have committed to upholding public safety and responding to the needs not to enforce immigration law, but to keep the peace. With that, I call upon those officials to stand shoulder to shoulder with us, to tone down the dangerous rhetoric and condemn all unlawful actions against law enforcement in the community. There are many ways to voice to your voice can be heard, express your feelings, and affect change in the country without crossing that line. Political and other disagreements in this room should not be expense of public safety or the safety of federal law enforcement officers. In closing, I want to thank the state and local officials here in Minnesota that met with and the many I'm going to meet with.
We've had meaningful, meaningful dialogue. And look, again, I didn't we didn't agree on everything, but we agreed on the things I just talked about. There's much more we can do. And I'm going to continue those dialogues. I've got many more community leaders to talk to. I got many more shares to me. President Trump wants this fixed and I'm going to fix it. With your help. I want to thank President Trump for his unwavering commitment to public safety and prosperity. Every American. Under the president's leadership, we have the most secure border in the history of this nation, which means less women are being raped, less children are dying crossing that border. Less fentanyl is getting this country to kill Americans. Less known suspected terrorists are crossing that country. And we don't have two men. Unknown gotaways. We don't know who the hell they are. A secure border, we have stronger national security. A secure border saves lives when 96% less people come. And how many women are being sexually assaulted by members of the cartel? How many people are dying making that journey? How many Americans aren't dying of fentanyl overdoses? How many women and children aren't being sex trafficked in this nation? The data proves it. Anybody can find that data. So God bless this great nation. God bless Minnesota. We can do better. And I thank your local and state leaders meeting with me. We made some significant gains, significant coordination and cooperation. And you're going to see some massive changes occurring here in this city. Thank you.
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Can you clarify? The rules of engagement are right here. Thank you so much, Mr. Holmes, with the Associated Press. Based on how you have described these changes in the mission, can you be more specific about the objectives of Operation Metro Surge? If what you have described changes the parameters for interior enforcement only in Minnesota or also in Maine and other places? And finally, when will you consider that those objectives will be achieved and this operation will end? Or is it in terms of agents on the ground, in terms of who you are targeting for arrests?
The the withdrawal of law enforcement resources here is dependent upon cooperation. Like I said, one agent arresting one bad guy, bad guy in the jail means less agents on the street. We have some agreements. We got more to talk about. How are we going to implement this agreement? But as we see that cooperation happen, then the redeployment will happen. Look, target enforcement operations should happen across the nation. That's what we've done for decades. And with targeted enforcement operations, I've done many, many of them. It just makes it safer for everybody when we know exactly what we're looking for. What is this criminal history? What is this immigration history? Where does he live? Is he an apartment complex versus a house? Uh, he's got no known record for having weapons. It's safer for everybody. Then we know what type of resources we need to go. And, you know, it just makes this operation cleaner, more efficient. And it's proven less violence when we know exactly what we're getting into and we can take the necessary precautions to keep everybody safe. You know, some of the operations I've been involved in, we know there's children in the house based on surveillance. So we know you got to be a little bit different when you go in the house, because there's going to be children present. So target enforcement operations the way we've always done it. I think we got away from a little bit, and we're going to make sure we do target enforcement operations and and look, I'll say it again, you know, we are not surrendering our mission at all. We're just doing it smarter.
Shimon Prokupecz from CNN. Mr. Homan, how did we get here in terms of you had Greg Bovino, who was the face of this immigration operation, the mission, as you say, to having Border Patrol agents in the interior of this country, stopping U.S. citizens, asking them for ID, creating this fear in places like Chicago and now here. And then finally, it took, really the death of Alex Petit for us to get here. How did that happen? Who made the decisions to allow this kind of Operation to proceed in this way and to create such fear.
Well, look, the last four years under Joe Biden, we have an open border where ten, 12,000 people a day are coming across the border. Border patrol got overwhelmed, which means we sent thousands of Ice agents down there to help deal with that humanitarian crisis, helped secure the border. Now we have millions of people released in this nation, many unvetted. Now we got to find them. Before the big beautiful bill, we had a total just under 5000 deportation officers to look for millions of people, many in public safety threats. So yes, we needed Border Patrol to come and help on our mission now. And reason for the massive deployment is because of the threats, because of the violence. Our officers need to be protected. If I if I'm on an operation, an arrest team, I'm going to a house. I got to be busy with that guy, the dangerous guy. And I can't keep looking over my shoulder. What's happening outside the house. So we brought extra resources in to provide that security. And as I said, as we as we drill down on these great agreements, we got this great understanding we have means less so we can draw down those resources. When the violence decreases, we can draw down those resources. But based on the discussions I've had with the governor and the AG, we can start drawing down those resources. As far as those looking for public safety that's being released and do it in the jail with much less, much less people. So the draw down is going to happen based on these agreements. But the draw down can happen even more if the hateful rhetoric in the impeachment interference will stop. So Border Patrol, I was a Border Patrol agent. These men and women are patriots. God bless. God bless them. They're here to help us. And the draw down will, will, will come soon, depending on when this. Actually, I see this in play. Well, the agreements have alone is going to cause a significant drawdown. So you're going to see a drawdown.
Just on a personal you've been doing this for 40 years. Just a follow up. Go ahead. No, no. First off, Ben, real America's voice news on behalf of the American people, I just want to say thank you to you and to all of the agents that are putting their lives on the line to go after the people that were allowed in in the last administration. We watched that happen in the media, the honest media covered up by many of the media that are behind me. We want to thank you and all the men and women that are out there. Can you talk to us about what's being done with the leadership on these signal chats, on these WhatsApp chats that are organizing the attacks against you, the obstructing obstruction against you are there. Are we going to be arresting those individuals as well? And to the folks out there in America that voted for this, that want mass deportations because they saw a mass invasion under Joe Biden, what would you say to them? How are we going to get to that point?
Well, first of all, about the the the organization and the funding of the attacks on ice. I'm not going to answer a lot about that because I'm not going to show our hand. But they'll be held accountable. Justice is coming. Um, again, we gotta we gotta all remember why. Why the question from CNN? Why are we here? What started this? Four years of an open border where millions of people are letting this country unvetted. Remember, let's not forget, for four years we were told the border secure. Four years we were told the border secure. And we all knew it wasn't. And I want this to be a positive thing we're doing here today. I also want to remember the politicians are continually attacking us. Where were they the last four years When the number of women children, sex trafficking went an all time high. Where were they when a quarter million Americans died from fentanyl coming across the border? Where were they? When women and children are dying making that journey. Where they were forced over 4000 animals making that journey died. Historic record. Where were they? Not a word. Now we're just trying to respond to what happened last four years and keeping this country safe.
And we're arresting a lot of public safety threats. Take them off the streets, which make this country safer. Keeping President Trump promised to make this country safe again. And that's what we're doing. But my three, two and a half days up here, we made a lot of progress. I think everybody agrees on the criminal and public safety threats. They agree as much safer and easier to arrest an alien in a facility than send a whole team out in the field. That's going to draw anger, because now we got to send a bunch of people to do something that could have been done by 1 or 2 people. And I've said this for years. I, you know, I have no ill will to anybody in Minnesota. All the people I talked to are we're never going to agree on everything. We have different philosophies and different opinions on immigration, but we all agree this is the way to go to reduce reduce safety, reduce crime, not reduce safety, reduce crime and increase safety for our operations. More people in the jail means less people on the street. The simple math is clear.
Sir Lana Zak, CBS news. Everybody I've spoken with agrees that if somebody has a violent criminal history and is a fugitive, they don't want them as their neighbor. But when you're talking about a targeted operation and are you talking about targeting people whose crime is coming to this country, or is it a more specific definition now?
All operations will be targeted with a prioritization are going to be criminal aliens, public safety threats and national security threats. I met with Marcos and his staff. We got a lot of them. We got a lot of them. Keep us busy, so that would be our focus.
So that is enough that that's what there is not going to be a focus on. People who have no other crimes except for their status.
In the country. Legally, you're not you're never off the table, you know. But we prioritization doesn't mean forget it, but you forget about us. Let me let me say this. If the message we send as you enter this country illegally, it's a crime. Don't worry about it. You can have your due process show up in court and not show up in court. Get ordered. Move. Don't worry about it. Unless you commit a serious crime, you're good to go. If that's the message we send to the world, you're never going to fix this problem. The most vulnerable people in the world will make that dangerous journey like they did under Joe Biden administration. Over 4000 animals died in that journey. And again, a significant increase in sex trafficking, because when they did that and opened those borders up saying, we're not going to detain you, we're going to give you free health care. We're going to fly to the city of your choice. Pushing a free hotel room, give you three meals a day and give you work authorization. We're just going to bring you in. And when they did that, they sent a message to the whole world. You can come and do this. And what happened? They overwhelmed the men and women of the Border Patrol were many days. 70% of agents were pulled off that line.
70%. You don't think the criminal cartels had a field day with that? They created gaps for the cartels, you know, do their activity. And that's why you're seeing the rise in fentanyl overdose. That's why you saw the rise in sex trafficking, the 2 million plus known gotaways. Why did they pay more to get away? Why didn't they pay less? Turn yourself in. Get released within 24 hours. You get a free airline ticket to the city of your choice. We're going to give you a free hotel room, and we'll give you free food and free medical care, and you'll get work authorization in six months. Why did 2 million people choose to pay more? Not to take advantage of that giveaway program? They didn't want to be vetted. They didn't want to be fingerprinted. That scares the hell out of me. And it does. Still, the Trump administration with Ice and Secretary Noem and and and Marco Rubio in the intelligence community. Tulsi Gabbard, we're all working together to try to identify who these people are. And we've already found many of them. But it's hard work to do. But there are national security threats walk in this nation because of the last administration. And they and they are one of our main priorities too.
Thank you. Can you please be specific about how many ice and how many Border Patrol agents are currently operating in the state?
I think we're near three, around 3000. There's been some rotations. Um. Another thing I witnessed when I came here, and I'll share this with you. I met with a lot of people, a lot of the agents. They've been in theater. Some of these people have been in theater for eight months. So there's going to be rotations of personnel, hopefully less. Now that we have some agreements, maybe we can make it more efficient and safe. But they've been in theater a long time. And so, you know, there's rotations happen all the time to get people out of here and go home, get some rest and see their families. Day after day. Can't eat in the restaurants. Day after day having people spit on you and blow whistles at you. Day after day, having all these threats at you. Day after day. Having people trying to interfere with you day after day. You know they're human. So, you know, we got to rotate, rotate these people. And we've already rotated some. But my my main focus now is draw down based upon the great conversations I've had with your state and local leaders. Again, I'm not a fool. I'm not walking away without seeing this place, but I take the word of the people I met with. I think they're honest, and I think they're good brokers that they want public safety protect, and they also want what's happening in the city to go away. And that's what we're that's my goal.
Mr.. Last question in the back molar, Newsmax, the new video of Alex is now circulating your reaction to that. And do you think law enforcement could have played a role if, like, let's say, Minneapolis police were able to respond to that? Have those top law enforcement officials said they'll help or do anything to help these agents who are out here?
I'm not going to comment on any shootings. I said from day one, from day one, I said any of these shootings as a career law enforcement officer, we'll we'll let investigation roll out, let the investigation play out and let it go where it goes. I'm not going to come out and make any comments. I think it's right or wrong. Do I have an opinion? Yeah, my personal opinion. But I'm not going to share that with you. I'm going to tell you let the investigation play out and see where it goes. But again, the president. One of the words he said to me, I came up here, he said he didn't want to see anybody die. The less interference, the less rhetoric, the less you know. I have buried Border Patrol agents, and I buried Ice agents throughout my career. And the saddest thing I've ever done is hold a. Hand. A folded flag to a wife or a child. I don't want to see anybody die. Even the people we're looking for. I don't want to see anybody die. And despite what people think of Tom Homan, I say a prayer every night that everybody goes home safe.
This isn't good, but I think my conversations last two and a half days are leading us to a safer community. Let nice officers operate in a safety and security of a jail more than on the street. I think anybody here with common sense would say it's safer to arrest a public safety threat and the safety and security of a jail. And let me tell you, what is that going to result in less collateral arrests when we go find that bag and we find back when we find that bad guy. Many times it's with others. Well, guess what? They're in the country legally. We're going to force immigration law. They're coming through. You want less collateral arrest? Less than the jail. But we're going to enforce the immigration law for the people that say we're here to surrender our authority in the mission of enforcing immigration law. You are wrong. We're going to do target enforcement operations, and we're going to prioritize the public safety threats and national security threats. That is, we're here to do.
No more questions, guys. Thank you.
Even CNN polls prove Americans WANT EVERY ILLEGAL DEPORTED no matter what Dems scream!
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) January 26, 2026
Fresh data: NYT 55%, Marquette 64%, CBS 57%, ABC 56% say deport ALL here illegally. Nearly 90% back shipping out the criminals. Trump promised mass deportations and we elected him to do it.… pic.twitter.com/0WlAZEuweR
