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 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. 

In a statement, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office said, "Our policy has not changed."

"At this point, we are having conversations with local, state, and federal leaders about solutions that serve our community," the sheriff's office said.

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."

Since the beginning of Operation Metro Surge, Homan said federal agents have detained 14 migrants with homicide convictions, 139 with assault convictions, 87 with sex offense convictions and 28 gang members. Additionally, 158 U.S. citizens have been arrested for allegedly interfering with federal agents, and at least 80 of the arrests have led to prosecution, Homan said.

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. 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," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.