Border Czar Homan Meets Minnesota Officials After Immigration Operation Tensions

In a significant reshuffling of federal immigration enforcement leadership, Border Czar Tom Homan met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Tuesday following mounting tensions over recent fatal shootings involving federal agents in the Twin Cities.

The high-level meetings come just days after President Donald Trump replaced Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino with Homan to lead operations in Minnesota. The leadership change follows the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, which sparked protests and heightened scrutiny of federal immigration operations in the state.

“Today I met with Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, and top law enforcement officials to discuss the issues on the ground in Minnesota,” Homan said in a statement posted on social media. “We all agree that we need to support our law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets. While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point.”

Homan emphasized that Trump has made it clear that American cities should be “safe and secure for law-abiding residents — and they will be.”

Following his meeting with Homan, Governor Walz issued a statement highlighting his call for “impartial investigations” into the recent shootings in Minneapolis involving federal agents. Walz also demanded “a swift, significant reduction in the number of federal forces in Minnesota” and “an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota.”

Walz’s office noted that both parties agreed on the need for ongoing dialogue, a commitment the President reportedly supported during a phone call with Walz the previous day. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has been designated as the primary liaison to Homan to address federal enforcement priorities.

Mayor Frey described his meeting with Homan and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara as “productive” but emphasized his primary request: ending Operation Metro Surge “as quickly as possible.”

“Public safety works best when it’s built on community trust, not tactics that create fear or division,” Frey stated. “I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers.”

The mayor also reaffirmed that Minneapolis “does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws,” focusing instead on local public safety efforts. City leadership plans to maintain communication with Homan’s team as the situation evolves.

Despite the leadership change and ongoing negotiations, Trump administration officials pushed back against characterizations that they were backing down from immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota. During a Fox News appearance on Tuesday, Trump himself described the shake-up as “a little bit of a change” rather than a “pullback.”

“Bovino is very good, but he’s a pretty out there kind of a guy. And in some cases that’s good, maybe it wasn’t good here,” Trump explained, suggesting a tactical adjustment rather than a strategic retreat.

The federal immigration operations in Minnesota have become increasingly contentious, particularly after Pretti’s shooting death. Trump said he spoke with Walz after the incident, noting that the governor was “very respectfully” open to deporting “any and all criminals that they have in their possession.”

In a separate conversation with Mayor Frey, the president received a more qualified commitment. Following their call, Frey stated that Minneapolis “will continue to cooperate with state and federal law enforcement on real criminal investigations — but we will not participate in unconstitutional arrests of our neighbors or enforce federal immigration law.”

The ongoing negotiations highlight the complex dynamics between federal immigration enforcement priorities and local governance concerns, particularly in communities where immigration operations have sparked controversy and protest.