Key point: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison denied agreeing with border czar Tom Homan to allow county jails to notify ICE about inmate release dates. Ellison emphasized that Minnesota law requires only state prisons — not county jails — to notify federal authorities about felony convictions involving noncitizens. Homan, sent by President Trump to lead ICE operations in the region, said he had a "very productive" meeting with Ellison and claimed otherwise; Ellison rejected that characterization.
Ellison Denies Any Agreement With Border Czar Homan Over County Jail Notifications To ICE
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison denied making an ICE deal with border czar Tom Homan.(Reuters Photos)
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Thursday rejected claims by border czar Tom Homan that the two reached an arrangement allowing county jails to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about inmate release dates.
Homan claimed to have had a "very productive" meeting with Ellison.
Ellison's Denial And Legal Distinction
Ellison said in a statement,
"I did not make, and could not have made, any agreement with him about how sheriffs share with ICE information about people in their county jails."His office clarified that under Minnesota law, only state-run prisons are required to notify federal authorities when a noncitizen is convicted of a felony. County jails, by contrast, are independently operated by sheriffs and counties, which decide whether to cooperate with ICE notification requests or detainers.
Homan was deployed to Minnesota amid growing unrest and discontentment with federal law enforcement in the state.
Homan's Account
Earlier the same day, Homan — who was dispatched to Minnesota by President Donald Trump to lead ICE operations in the region — said he had a "very productive" meeting with Ellison and claimed the attorney general agreed to notify ICE when local jails planned to release violent, undocumented individuals. Homan argued at a news conference that arresting such suspects while they remain behind bars is safer and simpler than tracking them after release, saying law enforcement otherwise must send teams into the community to detain them.
Homan: "One ICE agent can arrest one bad guy when he's behind the safety and security of a jail... But when you release that public safety threat back into the community, we have a job to do. We're going to arrest him, so we're going to find him."
Context And Aftermath
Homan was sent to Minnesota after clashes between anti-ICE demonstrators and federal agents across the Twin Cities. The reporting notes that unrest during the federal response was associated with the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, during law-enforcement actions. Fox News Digital has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment. Anders Hagstrom of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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