US President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday that he was restoring law and order after unrest in Minneapolis sparked by the killings of two protesters by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Homan arrived in Minnesota’s largest city this week as protests surged, businesses shuttered and local leaders openly challenged the federal government’s immigration crackdown.
“I’ve been on the ground since Monday to regain law and order in the city beloved by many and to work together to move threats from the community,” he said at a news conference, in his first remarks on site.
Talking about conversations he’s been having in Minneapolis, Homan told reporters that even amid anger and grief, there was common ground. “One thing we did agree on, though, everybody I talked to agreed on, was the community safety is paramount,” he said.
Homan’s deployment marks a shift from the immigration crackdown led by Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino, who has since been reportedly demoted as part of Trump’s efforts to de-escalate tensions in Minnesota.
Angry protests broke out after two residents were shot and killed by federal agents in the state.
Renee Good, 37, was shot at point-blank range on 7 January as she apparently tried to drive away from agents who were crowding around her car, which they said was blocking their way.
And on 24 January, 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was also shot and killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis.
The killings galvanised thousands taking to the streets of Minneapolis to protest against the presence of ICE in the Democratic-led city.
Restaurants, local attractions and other businesses closed down as part of a coordinated act of defiance against the weeks-long federal immigration operation under way in the state.
What is ICE?
ICE was formed as part of the 2022 Homeland Security Act, which came into being as part of the response to the 2001 terror attacks on US soil.
The legislation created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with ICE as one of its subsidiary agencies.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has significantly expanded ICE, making it the lead agency in carrying out the administration’s mass deportation initiative.
ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration law and carries out investigations into undocumented immigration. It also plays a key role in removing undocumented immigrants from the US.
ICE’s budget has skyrocketed during Trump’s second term and is now the highest-funded law enforcement agency, at $85 billion (€71 billion).
That increase in funding came thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive 900-page federal law enacted last July, which saw ICE’s budget spike after hovering around $10 billion (€8.3 billion) for years.
Trump and his administration have consistently defended ICE and its actions, citing success in reducing crime rates across the US. In turn, the US president has blamed Democrats for what he described as “chaos” of recent weeks.
“During the four years of crooked Joe Biden and Democrat failed leadership, tens of millions of illegal alien criminals poured into our country, including hundreds of thousands of convicted murderers, rapists, kidnappers, drug dealers, and terrorists,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday evening.
“In the five Republican run states … ICE has arrested 150,245 criminal illegal aliens over the past year, with zero protests, riots, or chaos,” he added.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on Thursday are threatening to block legislation that would fund the DHS and several other agencies, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown.
The Democrats are demanding that Republicans and the White House agree to new restrictions on Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until ICE is “reined in and overhauled.”
“The American people support law enforcement. They support border security. They do not support ICE terrorising our streets and killing American citizens,” he said.