‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan told reporters in Minneapolis on Thursday that “Operation Metro Surge,” the surge in immigration enforcement in Minnesota, has been a success. (see the subsequent Q&A segment here). “We will enforce immigration law against all persons in the United States illegally,” Homan said.

TOM HOMAN: I’ll read a statement real quick, and after I read a statement, I’ll take questions. I’m here with Sam Olson, Director of ICE Enforcement for the St. Paul Field Office; Steven Schrank, Acting Special Agent in Charge for ICE Homeland Security Investigations; and Chris Kuhn, Deputy Chief Patrol Agent for the United States Border Patrol. I’m very pleased to report that this surge operation and our work here with state and local officials to improve coordination and achieve mutual goals, as well as our efforts to address issues of concern here on the ground, have yielded the successful results we came here for. The Twin Cities, Minnesota in general, are and will continue to be much safer for the communities here because of what we have accomplished under President Trump’s leadership. I previously shared with you before I got here-before I even got here-I said I would meet with the governor, the attorney general, and Mayor Frey and Mayor Hur. I’ve done that and met with various police chiefs and sheriffs. One thing we all have in common is the importance of ensuring and maintaining public safety. Overall, we made a lot of progress through extensive engagement, meeting with them and other key stakeholders. It is expected those engagements and discussions will continue going forward in order to enhance exchange of information and coordination. As a result of this surge operation, we have greatly reduced the number of targets for enforcement action. Many criminal aliens have been arrested and taken off the streets, including murderers, sex offenders, national security threats, gang members, and other violent criminals. Just this week, ICE arrested a criminal alien with criminal convictions for rape and acts with a child under 14 years of age by force, and arrested two criminal aliens with criminal sexual misconduct convictions. Through targeted enforcement operations based on reasonable suspicion and prioritizing safety and security, ICE will continue to identify, arrest, and remove illegal aliens that pose a risk to public safety, like we have done for years. Our officers will carry out those duties with professionalism, integrity, and compassion, like we’ve done for years. We will enforce immigration law against all persons in the United States illegally. I want to say something about the various unfounded complaints about ICE enforcement operations. During this surge operation, ICE has not arrested anybody inside a hospital. We have not arrested anybody inside of a school-an elementary school. We have not arrested anybody inside a church. As a matter of fact, the only ones that disrespected the sanctuary of a church were the agitators that have been arrested and prosecuted, and so far we have nine of them. However, those locations are not off the table. I said from day one there is no sanctuary for a significant public safety threat or national security threat. As far as those stories about ICE going into churches or arresting people in hospitals, that simply has not happened. If you have a case where it happened, do let me know, because all the digging I’ve done, I can’t find a single one. Under President Trump’s direction, we have obtained an unprecedented level of coordination with law enforcement officials that is focused on promoting public safety across the entire state. While I don’t agree with Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison on everything, I appreciate the support the governor gives to state agencies who coordinate with us in a manner intended to promote public safety, and I appreciate the attorney general having an open dialogue with me. The first meeting I had acknowledged county jails may notify ICE of the release date of an inmate as long as they don’t hold them past the time they would normally release them. We now have the ability to arrest criminal aliens in the safety and security of jails throughout the state at the time they are being released, like we’ve done in other states. I’ve also directed the strategic placement of officers in certain areas throughout the state that can respond quickly to sheriffs that want to release somebody and notify us. We need to be nearby. We worked on a strategic plan to reassign officers in those key locations. Arrests in a jail are safer for the alien, the officer, and safer for the community. I think we all can agree on that. It requires fewer resources for at-large operations. It just makes sense. I’ll say it again, as I’ve said many times: we aren’t asking local law enforcement to act as immigration officers. I don’t want them being immigration officers. We’re the immigration officers. We just want them to be cops. We’re asking law enforcement to coordinate with other law enforcement to help keep public safety risks out of the communities. We have also strengthened our existing coordination with the state to target and take custody of criminal aliens more effectively and efficiently. Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals. We are proud of the public safety threats we have removed-the criminal aliens of this state. As I said in my first press conference a couple of weeks ago, President Trump didn’t send me here because the operation was being run and conducted perfectly. I came here to identify issues and implement solutions to improve our mission execution. Since that time, in order to improve targeted enforcement operations, I and my team made personnel changes, established a chain-of-command structure, strengthened joint intelligence and targeting capabilities, deployed body cameras, increased the footprint of internal affairs, and committed zero tolerance for misconduct. President Trump also deployed me to work with state and local officials to de-escalate the reactions and conflicts that have unfolded on the streets between federal law enforcement and unlawful agitators. Working to course-correct and improve our enforcement operations being run and executed-and even before I was sent up here-I have been saying over and over that forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal law enforcement officer is a crime in violation of USC 111. It’s not okay and will not be tolerated. Zero tolerance. If you cross that line and put hands on an ICE officer, not only is it unlawful, it is dangerous, and we have seen tragic consequences, as well as adverse impacts on businesses and the communities here in the city. While the Trump administration supports everyone’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech and assembly and to petition, it has to be done lawfully and peacefully. We won’t tolerate unlawful actions by agitators just causing havoc. This is not the way to express your disagreement or try to reform federal laws. Go talk to your members of Congress if you want the laws changed in this country. Nor is doxing federal law enforcement personnel and their families. It is just not right. Enough is enough with this misguided, reckless, and shameful behavior. We don’t want to see any more bloodshed. I don’t want to see any more bloodshed. I pray every night for the safety of our law enforcement officers and safety for those in the community here, legally or illegally. I don’t want to see anybody harmed. If you break the law, we are going to arrest you. We have already arrested more than 200 people for violations of USC 111. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has already accepted many for prosecution; some are still pending. I have also received commitments from state and local law enforcement they will respond if federal law enforcement is being impeded or assaulted. They will shut down unlawful agitator activity and arrest them and follow through. State and local law enforcement have taken action for public safety, and bless them for doing that. Since I have been here, I’ve repeatedly emphasized that unlawful and violent agitator activity is unacceptable and must wind down as a condition for further drawdown of law enforcement personnel. I cannot remove them while violence poses serious risks to our officers. I won’t leave my officers in that position. It is worth noting that in all my meetings and discussions since I got here, I have not heard one federal, state, or local law enforcement or judicial official-nor any member of the business or faith communities I met with-say that ICE is an illegitimate agency that doesn’t have a real mission. Quite the opposite. All I’ve heard is acknowledgment that federal immigration laws passed by Congress do exist and ICE has a legitimate responsibility to enforce those laws. ICE is a legitimate federal law enforcement agency. We’re not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people the civil rights of due process. In addition to taking public safety threats off the street, ICE here in this state has located 3,364 missing unaccompanied alien children-children the last administration lost and weren’t even looking for. Because of the leadership of President Trump, these children were located. As part of the de-escalation efforts, I called on state and local officials to tone down the rhetoric and denounce unlawful activity by the agitators. We don’t have to agree on everything, and we definitely do not, but we all agree lawlessness, chaos, and disruption that is occurring on the street needs to end. I want to thank Governor Walz for his support. I also want to thank Mayor Frey for taking a public stance against people setting up barricades and for directing the police to take those roadblocks down. I want to thank Police Chief O’Hara, Sheriff Witt, and other local law enforcement for their efforts to maintain law and order in the streets. We have seen a big change in the last couple of weeks. It’s all good changes. I’m also pleased to report we’re seeing a notable decrease in unlawful agitator activity here in Minneapolis and throughout the state. This is great news for Minnesota communities that have been adversely impacted by the lawlessness and chaos in the streets. We have what we call here a Quick Response Force-security teams that get called out when ICE officers are out doing operations. If they get into trouble, if agitators get out of control, if there is danger and public safety is at risk, they respond and help these officers get out of that situation. The day I got here, I asked to know what the QRF callouts and deployments were every time they’re called out. The QRF deployments have dropped dramatically because we have less of that occurring-less of the agitators that cross that line. That is a good thing. That is a win for everybody, not just for the safety of law enforcement officers but a win for this community. With that success that has been made arresting public safety threats and other priorities since the surge operation began, as well as the unprecedented levels of coordination we have obtained from state officials and local law enforcement, I have proposed-and President Trump has concurred-that this surge operation conclude. A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue through the next week. We have a lot of work to do across this country to remove public safety risks who shouldn’t even be in this country and to deliver on President Trump’s promise for strong border security and mass deportation. Law enforcement officers drawing down from this surge operation will either return to their duty stations or be assigned elsewhere to achieve just that. We will continue to enforce Title VIII immigration law throughout this nation, prioritizing national security threats and public safety risks. While continuing to say over and over again, if you are here in the country illegally, you are not exempt from our immigration laws. If we encounter you, we’ll take appropriate enforcement action. For those who say we’re backing down from immigration enforcement or the promise of mass deportation, you are simply wrong. Look at the data. Record numbers of arrests and deportations under President Trump’s first year, and we’ll continue that effort. Prioritizing public safety threats and national security threats doesn’t mean we’ll forget about everybody else. We’ll take action on everybody else. That’s just the stone-cold fact. A small footprint of personnel will remain for a period of time to transition control back to the field office, as well as to ensure agitator activity continues to decline and that state and local law enforcement continue to respond to ensure officer and community safety. Additionally, federal government personnel assigned to conduct criminal investigations into the agitators, as well as personnel assigned for fraud investigations, will remain in place until their work is done. I will also remain on the ground for a little longer to oversee the drawdown of this operation and ensure its success. In closing, I want to thank the leadership and senior management that I’ve worked with for your efforts in determining efficiencies and challenges, presenting solutions, and implementing improvements to benefit how our operations are run nationwide. God bless the men and women of ICE and the men and women of Border Patrol. I appreciate everything you have done for us. Also, with sincere gratitude, we want to thank the men and women of ICE and partner agencies assigned during Operation Metro Surge. You achieved a great success for Minnesota communities. Thank you to your families as well. Thank you, Mr. Trump, for your vision, support, and confidence in these brave, dedicated patriots that work hard to deliver on law and order, public safety, and prosperity for American communities. Today we have the most secure border in American history. We are seeing record numbers of people being arrested and deported. Your promise to make America safe again is being played out every day on the streets of this country. I have said it many times-six different presidents-no one has done it better than President Trump. God bless this great country. I’ll take questions now.

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