Homan touts progress; vows Trump administration won’t back down on immigration

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

“Progress” is being made in Minnesota, Border Czar Tom Homan said during a news conference Thursday after being on the ground since Monday evening.

Homan told reporters that the current mission is to prioritize criminal aliens, while not straying away from the overall mission of reducing illegal immigration.

“We are not surrendering the president’s mission on immigration enforcement. Let’s make that clear,” the border czar told reporters Thursday morning.

Homan announced a possible breakthrough with Minnesota Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison, that county jails may notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials of criminal aliens, while acknowledging that the Department of Corrections has been honoring ICE detainers.

The border czar sent a strong message to protesters and dissenters of the Trump administration’s immigration policies that “ICE is enforcing the law enacted by Congress.” Telling demonstrators to protest Congress, not the officers themselves, by trying to obstruct.

Homan wouldn’t comment on the investigation into Saturday’s shooting death of Alex Pretty, while acknowledging that “certain improvements could and should be made.”

He reiterated the challenges immigration officials face, making their jobs more complicated by the fact that local and state authorities have been unwilling to cooperate with federal officials in controlled environments such as jails.

Homan said that the drawdown of federal agents depends on cooperation from local and state authorities in turning over criminal aliens, explaining that failing to do so requires more agents to support operations that provide safety to officers.

“One agent can arrest one bad guy in the safety and security of a jail where he’s behind wire. We know we don’t have weapons, but when you normally release that public safety threat, illegal alien back in the community, we have a job to do,” Homan said. “We’re going to arrest him. Se we’re going to find them, and what happens is now we got to arrest somebody on his turf, who has access to who knows what weapons, now we got to send the whole team out, cover the back door, cover the front door.”

He added that “hateful rhetoric” is adding to officers being in danger, resulting in the surge of law enforcement officials.

Homan was asked about agitators using violence and harassing immigration officers, with him responding that “justice is coming.”

Homan’s press conference comes on the same day that Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey is traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with the nation’s mayors.

In a press release from Frey’s office, the mayor reiterated his goal to end Operation Metro Surge.

“Mayor Frey will continue advocating for Minneapolis and working with local, state, and federal leaders to help bring this operation to an end,” the press release read.