700 federal agents to leave Minnesota "effective immediately," border czar Tom Homan says

Border czar Tom Homan said in an update Wednesday morning that 700 federal agents would be leaving Minnesota "effective immediately," due to an "unprecedented" level of cooperation between counties and immigration enforcement officials.

Homan said he's been in talks with counties that have agreed to let Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents take custody of migrants in the country illegally straight from their jails. Instead of deploying teams to arrest someone who was released, Homan said that agreement would allow a single agent to pick up a target directly.

The White House said agents have arrested 4,000 "criminal illegal aliens" since Operation Metro Surge began. Homan says agents detained 14 people with homicide convictions, 139 with assault convictions, 87 who have committed sex offenses, and 28 gang members.

Homan also said that in the past month, agents have arrested 158 people for interfering with federal officers.  

The 700 agents represents a mix of ICE and Border Patrol agents. With the removal, roughly 2,000 federal agents remain as part of Operation Metro Surge. Homan said typically there are 150 agents on the ground in Minnesota.

"We've never had this kind of cooperation at this level," Homan said, referencing talks with Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and sheriffs from around the state. 

What officials are saying about the tentative agreement between local officials and DHS

WCCO obtained a copy of a potential agreement between Minnesota counties and immigration and customs enforcement. The 'basic ordering agreement' or BOA would give ICE "reasonable access to all detainees or inmates for purposes of interviewing," and would allow counties to hold inmates for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release.

Robert Small, executive director of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, said Wednesday night, "the agreement is not in line with current Minnesota state law." Small told WCCO he was part of meeting with Homan on Monday where the agreement was discussed.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty agrees with the association.

"The Hennepin County Jail already provides legally required information to ICE. Using local taxpayer resources to further assist the federal government in civil immigration enforcement is inappropriate," Moriarty said in a statement. "Additionally, the Basic Ordering Agreements (BOA) proposed by DHS would violate Minnesota law."

"We are aware that a draft agreement is being discussed with MSA, HCSO is not pursuing such an agreement for our agency," said a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

Though earlier this week, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt had said she was considering notifying ICE when certain inmates are done serving their time.

"I can say that there's been conversations had," said Witt. "We can make some room to negotiate and do it right, with that goal of keeping our community safe."  

Local leaders on the withdrawal of federal agents

Walz said the withdrawal is a "step in the right direction," but called for a faster and larger-scale removal as well as state-level investigations into the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

The remaining agents will conduct targeted immigration enforcement, Homan said, with a focus on national security and public safety threats. Still, he said "we're not going to turn a blind eye to illegal immigration."

"My goal with the support of President Trump is to achieve a complete drawdown and end this surge as soon as we can, but that is largely contingent upon the end of illegal and threatening activities against ICE and its federal partners that we're seeing in the community," Homan said.

He was particularly irked by a roadblock built by neighbors in south Minneapolis that turned an intersection into a roundabout. Residents said it was a show of resistance and guarded against ICE in their neighborhood. In response, Homan said he called Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, who agreed to remove it.

Homan urged public officials to "ask for calm in the community and to end the resistance, the impediment, the interference. Again, protest, but stop impeding. Stop interfering. Stop violating the law. Because we will arrest you."

President Trump sent Homan to the Twin Cities last week after two Border Patrol agents shot and killed Pretti in south Minneapolis.

Since his arrival, Homan said he's organized a chain of command for agents, and has prioritized full body camera deployment in the city, with the eventual goal of instituting their use for federal agents nationwide. 

The Department of Homeland Security has body camera footage from multiple federal agents who were at the scene when Pretti was killed, sources told CBS News, but Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week that he would not commit to releasing it.

When asked if he believed Operation Metro Surge was a success, Homan said yes, but acknowledged that it was not perfect.

"The drawdown and body-worn cameras are a step in the right direction, but 2,000 ICE officers still here is not de-escalation," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. "My message to the White House has been consistent: Operation Metro Surge has been catastrophic for our businesses and residents. It needs to end immediately."