President Donald Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan made one thing unmistakably clear about the ICE drawdown in Minneapolis, Minnesota: this is not the end — and federal agents can return at scale if necessary.
Yes, ICE is ending its surge posture in Minneapolis. No, that does not mean enforcement is stopping.
Homan addressed the transition during a television interview on Thursday night, pushing back on the idea that federal authorities are retreating and the false claims from Democrats that this was a victory for the anti-ICE Resistance movement in Minnesota:
From the interview:
"Even though we’re drawing down resources, we still want to have hundreds of special agents here drawn down on the fraud here from the Somali community and others. During those fraud investigations, until they’re done, we’re going to hold people responsible."
That is not a withdrawal. Hundreds of agents remain focused on fraud and related criminal investigations. Ongoing cases are continuing. Personnel are still on the ground.
What is ending is the surge configuration, the intensified manpower spike designed to force cooperation and accelerate enforcement.
Independent journalist Julio Rosas reported that the Minneapolis effort brought a heavier federal footprint to the area, with a clear purpose: to get local officials to cooperate on criminal enforcement cases and ongoing fraud probes. The added manpower was a tool, not a long-term deployment.
As Rosas noted, once Minnesota authorities began working more closely with federal investigators and key investigative goals were achieved, there was no longer a need to maintain surge-level staffing.
The surge was structured to force compliance on specific criminal enforcement priorities and accelerate ongoing fraud investigations. Once cooperation was secured and operational goals were met, federal authorities transitioned away from surge-level staffing while maintaining investigative personnel.
That transition is what is happening now.
But the larger message from Homan was not about the past. It was about the future.
"This is like any other surge operation. Los Angeles, it ended. Charlotte, it ended. New Orleans, it ended. This is ending the surge, but we’re not going away."
Surges end. Enforcement authority does not.
ICE maintains personnel in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security retains full authority to increase its footprint again if conditions warrant. The federal government has not relinquished control.
Homan drove that point home with a line that sounded less like commentary and more like a warning.
"Over 800 flights a day land in St. Paul, Minnesota. If we need to come back, we’ll come back."
That is the deterrent message.
Minneapolis is not off the radar. Minnesota is not insulated from federal enforcement. The surge phase has concluded, but the federal presence remains, and the capacity to scale back up is intact.
The manpower spike may have ended.
But the signal from Washington is clear: if cooperation falters, ICE will be back.