President Donald Trump moved Thursday to tamp down speculation that his administration is preparing to significantly scale back the federal immigration enforcement presence in Minnesota, even as the state has faced a turbulent and deadly stretch tied to recent incidents involving Border Patrol agents.
Earlier in the day, Border Czar Tom Homan held a press conference in Minneapolis addressing growing scrutiny of federal immigration operations following two deadly shootings in the city. Homan acknowledged that agents on the ground could improve aspects of how they conduct themselves amid heightened tensions. At the same time, he announced what he described as a potential “drawdown plan,” explaining that a reduction in the number of agents in the area could occur if certain benchmarks are met.
Homan made clear, however, that any such reduction would be conditional and gradual, not immediate. He also sharply criticized state and local officials who have opposed the federal presence, suggesting that resistance from local leadership has complicated enforcement efforts and cooperation.
Just hours after Homan’s remarks, Trump appeared to undercut talk of a meaningful pullback. While attending a screening of Melania at the Kennedy Center, the president took questions from reporters on the red carpet. When asked directly whether immigration enforcement agents would be pulled out of Minnesota, Trump responded by emphasizing public safety.
“We keep our country safe,” Trump said. “We’ll do whatever we can to keep our country safe.”
Pressed further on whether that meant agents would be withdrawn, Trump was emphatic. “No, no. Not all,” he said, signaling that while adjustments may be discussed internally, the administration is not abandoning its enforcement posture.
Trump’s brief comments quickly became the focal point of media coverage. On Thursday night’s AC360 on CNN, host Anderson Cooper aired both the president’s red carpet exchange and Homan’s earlier press conference. Cooper noted that Homan had stopped short of promising a drawdown, instead outlining a framework for working toward one under specific conditions.
“All the same,” Cooper said, “his boss, the president, just a few words on the red carpet, seems to have put the kibosh on any drawdown.” Cooper also observed that Trump had spent much of the day silent on the issue, leaving Homan to field questions and criticism until the president weighed in later that evening.
The administration dispatched Homan to Minnesota following the removal of former Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents over the weekend. The shooting intensified national attention on federal immigration operations in the state and sparked renewed debate over leadership and accountability.
Bovino, like Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, had claimed that the agents involved acted appropriately. Those claims were later contradicted by video footage showing agents removing Pretti’s legally permitted firearm from his waistband before shooting him 10 times, fueling criticism and calls for changes to federal enforcement tactics.
Despite the controversy, Trump’s comments suggest he is unwilling to dramatically reduce the federal presence in Minnesota, particularly amid ongoing public safety concerns. While Homan has left the door open to limited adjustments if certain conditions are met, the president made clear that his priority remains maintaining enforcement capabilities he believes are necessary to keep the country safe.
For now, talk of a broad drawdown appears stalled, with the White House signaling that any changes will be measured and secondary to what Trump has repeatedly framed as the central mission of border and immigration enforcement.
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