Washington sent its border czar, Tom Homan, to Minnesota and he made plain what the rest of the country already suspects: federal officers will be pulled back only if state and local officials cooperate with ICE. Homan announced that a drawdown of federal personnel depends on agreements that allow county jails and state prisons to notify ICE when criminal aliens are in custody, a practical step to reduce street operations and restore order.
This shift follows a massive deployment dubbed Operation Metro Surge, which placed roughly 3,000 federal immigration officers in the Twin Cities amid sustained protests and violent confrontations. The aggressive posture was driven by the administration’s insistence on enforcing the law after a spike in crime linked to certain illegal entrants, and it predictably drew howls from Minneapolis politicians and the national press.
Minnesota officials — including Governor Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey, and Attorney General Keith Ellison — have now sat down with Homan and agreed to steps that would let ICE take custody of criminal noncitizens in jails rather than chasing people on the street. That pragmatic compromise is exactly what law-and-order Americans have been demanding: enforce the law where it’s safest to do so and stop letting politics create chaos on our streets.
Let’s be clear about the ground truth the establishment media refuses to admit: these were not uniformly calm, peaceful protests but episodes that included assaults on federal officers and even fatal shootings that escalated tensions. Citizens deserve truthful reporting — not the sanctimonious framing that excuses mobs while vilifying those trying to restore public safety.
Homan’s message has been simple and firm: targeted enforcement focused on criminal threats protects communities, and there will be zero tolerance for obstruction or violence against officers. Conservatives should applaud a return to strategy over spectacle — remove dangerous criminals from incarceration settings where it’s safe and reduce the need for officers to hunt targets on the streets amid hostile crowds.
If Minnesota’s Democratic leadership is sincere about calming the situation, they will follow through and stop playing politics with public safety. Too many local officials rushed to condemn federal action for headlines while resisting basic cooperation that would have prevented patrols from needing to operate in riotous conditions in the first place.
Americans who work hard and pay taxes deserve cities that are safe and accountable, not sanctuaries for lawlessness or partisan virtue signaling. Support Homan’s common-sense conditions for a drawdown, demand honest reporting from the press, and pressure local leaders to put safety before ideology so we can get back to normal life without fear.
