Trump's border czar to pull hundreds of ICE agents from Minnesota as he warns of "bloodshed"

Minneapolis, Minnesota - President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan on Wednesday announced that 700 US Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents will be pulled out of Minnesota.

The Trump administration's border czar Tom Homan announced on Wednesday that 700 US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be pulled out of Minnesota.
The Trump administration's border czar Tom Homan announced on Wednesday that 700 US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be pulled out of Minnesota.  © AFP/Charly Triballeau

"I am announcing that, effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people, effective today," Homan said during a press conference in Minneapolis.

Homan justified the removal by touting the Department of Homeland Security's "unprecedented" cooperation with local officials. He said 2,000 immigration agents will remain in Minnesota.

It was largely implied that the majority of agents withdrawn will come from ICE, as Homan said that Customs and Border Protection had unified under "one chain of command" with ICE and was largely providing security.

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He said that while he wants to end the Minnesota operations as quickly as possible, he "will not draw down on personnel providing security and responding to hostile incidents until we see a change."

The announcement comes less than two weeks after CBP officers fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti just weeks after the killing of Renee Nicole Good.

Homan attacks anti-ICE protesters

A protester in Los Angeles, California, holds a sign with a picture of Alex Pretti in an "ICE Out of Everywhere" National Day of Action on January 31, 2026.
A protester in Los Angeles, California, holds a sign with a picture of Alex Pretti in an "ICE Out of Everywhere" National Day of Action on January 31, 2026.  © Apu GOMES / AFP

Homan went on to attack the thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets to protest Trump's takeover of Minneapolis and the violence committed by federal agents.

"My goal... is to achieve a complete drawdown and end this surge as soon as we can," Homan said. "But that is largely contingent upon the end of the illegal and threatening activities against ICE."

"It is against the law to forcefully assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with federal law enforcement, including ICE officers and border patrol agents," he said.

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"Doxxing law enforcement to threaten them and their families... is unacceptable, and it is shameful and incomprehensible to me that any of this unlawful and threatening behavior is being tolerated by anyone."

"I said back in March of this year [sic] that if the hateful rhetoric didn't stop I was afraid there would be bloodshed. And there has been."

Cover photo: AFP/Charly Triballeau

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