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The Trump administration could reduce the number of\u00a0immigration enforcement\u00a0officers in Minnesota, but only if state and local officials cooperate, the president\u2019s border czar said Thursday, noting he has \u201czero tolerance\u201d for protesters who assault federal officers or impede the ongoing Twin Cities operation.<\/p>\n
Tom Homan addressed reporters for the first time since the president sent him to Minneapolis following last weekend\u2019s\u00a0fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti, the\u00a0second this month\u00a0by federal officers carrying out the operation. His comments came after President Donald Trump seemed to signal a willingness to ease tensions in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area and as the administration ended its\u00a0\u201cenhanced operations\u201d in Maine.<\/p>\n
Homan emphasized that the administration isn\u2019t relenting on its immigration crackdown and warned that protesters could face consequences if they interfere with federal officers.<\/p>\n
But he seemed to acknowledge there had been missteps.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not want to hear that everything that\u2019s been done here has been perfect. Nothing\u2019s ever perfect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Homan hinted at the prospect of pulling out many of the roughly 3,000 federal officers taking part in the operation, but he seemed to tie that to cooperation from state and local leaders and a reduction in protester interference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe drawdown is going to happen based on these agreements,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the drawdown can happen even more if the hateful rhetoric and the impediment and interference will stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also said he would oversee internal changes in federal immigration law enforcement, but he gave few specifics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mission is going to improve because of the changes we\u2019re making internally,\u201d he said. \u201cNo agency organization is perfect. And President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters in Washington on Thursday he was \u201chopeful\u201d that the number of federal officers in the city would be reduced. He said police would do their jobs but not \u201csomebody else\u2019s,\u201d referring to federal law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Despite Trump softening his rhetoric about Minnesota officials \u2014 he said this week they were on a \u201csimilar wavelength\u201d \u2014 there has been no visible sign of any big changes to the operation. On Thursday, as the Justice Department charged a man\u00a0accused of squirting vinegar\u00a0on Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a smattering of protesters braved the frigid temperatures to demonstrate outside of the federal facility that has been serving as the operation\u2019s main hub.<\/p>\n
Pretti, 37,\u00a0was fatally shot Saturday\u00a0during a scuffle with the Border Patrol. Earlier this month,\u00a037-year-old Renee Good\u00a0was shot in her vehicle by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.<\/p>\n
Homan doubled down on the need for jails to alert ICE to inmates who could be deported, saying that transferring such inmates to the agency while they\u2019re still in jail is safer because it means fewer officers have to be out looking for people who are in the country illegally. ICE has historically relied on cooperation from local and state jails to notify the agency about such inmates.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive us access to illegal aliens, public safety threats in the safety and security of a jail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The border czar, whose arrival\u00a0followed the departure\u00a0of the Trump administration\u2019s on-the-ground leader of the operation, Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, also seemed to suggest a renewed focus on what ICE calls \u201ctargeted operations\u201d focused on apprehending immigrants who have committed crimes. Homan said the agency would conduct \u201ctargeted strategic enforcement operations\u201d prioritizing \u201cpublic safety threats.\u201d<\/p>\n
It remains to be seen whether ICE\u2019s renewed focus on \u201ctargeted operations\u201d might reduce tensions.<\/p>\n
ICE and Homan have long said the Trump administration\u2019s primary focus is to arrest people in the country illegally who have a criminal history or pose a threat to public safety. But they acknowledge they\u2019ll also arrest anyone else found to be in the U.S. illegally.<\/p>\n
They argue that ICE operations target specific people, as opposed to carrying out indiscriminate raids where officers round up everyone and demand their papers.<\/p>\n
Sameera Hafiz, policy director with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said Homan\u2019s comments seemed to reflect a recognition that public opinion has turned against ICE, but she questioned his argument that carrying out targeted operations would make the country safer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis comments still seem to be based on the false premise that deporting people or deportation will make our community safer,\u201d she said. \u201cAll the evidence and data has shown that deportations don\u2019t make our communities safer. They destabilize families, they tear communities apart, they hurt our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Homan didn\u2019t give a specific timeline for how long he would stay in Minnesota.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m staying until the problem\u2019s gone,\u201d he said, adding that he has met with community, law enforcement and elected leaders in the hopes of finding common ground and suggested that he\u2019s made some progress.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Santana reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis, Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, and Steven Sloan in Washington contributed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Trumps #border #czar #vows #tolerance #assaults #ICE #gesturing #Minnesota #drawdown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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