Tom Homan, the border czar appointed under U.S. President Donald Trump, has announced plans to remain in Minnesota as federal immigration enforcement efforts expand in the state. He stressed that the administration has no intention of backing down from its broader immigration agenda.
Homan made the remarks during a news conference in Minnesota, where he was deployed following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers earlier this month. He said his presence would be ongoing and that enforcement actions would be adjusted to improve operational focus.
Blame Placed on Prior Policies and Local Resistance
While acknowledging growing public anger, Homan largely attributed the escalation in tensions to policies enacted during the administration of former President Joe Biden, as well as what he described as a lack of cooperation from local officials.
According to Homan, stronger coordination between federal and local authorities would reduce both enforcement pressure and public backlash.
“I’m staying until the problem’s gone,” Homan told reporters on Thursday, adding that the Trump administration remains committed to pursuing individuals it considers public safety or national security risks.
Targeted Operations Defended Amid Criticism
Homan emphasized that enforcement efforts would rely on what he described as long-standing, targeted methods rather than indiscriminate actions.
“When we hit the streets, we know exactly who we’re looking for,” he said, characterizing the strategy as consistent with practices used for decades.
However, immigration advocates and civil rights observers have raised concerns that enforcement has increasingly taken the form of broad dragnet operations, driven in part by high detention targets set at the federal level.
Concerns Over Racial Profiling and Expanding Definitions
State and local officials reported last week that several off-duty law enforcement officers had been randomly stopped by federal agents and asked to produce identification. They noted that those questioned were all people of colour, raising concerns about racial profiling.
During his campaign, Trump pledged that enforcement would focus on individuals with criminal records. Yet after taking office, a White House spokesperson stated that the administration considers anyone in the country without legal documentation to be committing a crime.
Leadership Change and Fatal Incidents Spark Protests
Homan was dispatched to Minnesota after replacing Greg Bovino, the senior border patrol official initially assigned to oversee a large-scale enforcement operation that has since triggered widespread protests.
On January 7, an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. A second fatal shooting occurred last week, when border patrol agents shot Alex Pretti.
Both incidents have intensified scrutiny of federal immigration tactics and fueled ongoing demonstrations across the state.