Tom Homan, sent to Minneapolis by President Trump, denied that his deployment signals a pullback from the administration’s deportation plans. He said his mission is to deescalate tensions created by visible street operations while maintaining a firm enforcement posture. Homan described a meeting with Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey in which they agreed to honor federal detainers so arrests can occur inside jails. He argued that jail-based arrests are safer and could allow federal agents to reduce public deployments without weakening enforcement.
Tom Homan Says Trump Isn’t Backing Off Deportations After Minneapolis Deployment
White House ‘border czar’ Tom Homan speaks to the press outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14.(Getty Images)
Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s self-styled “border czar,” pushed back against claims that his deployment to Minneapolis signals a retreat from the president’s tough immigration agenda in Minnesota. In his first interview since arriving in the city, Homan told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that any suggestion President Trump is backing off plans for large-scale deportations is inaccurate.
Split image shows Greg Bovino, chief of the Border Patrol sector in El Centro, California, left, and border czar Tom Homan, right.
Mission: Deescalate Without Weakening Enforcement
Homan said his assignment in Minneapolis is intended to calm tensions arising from federal immigration operations while preserving an aggressive enforcement posture. He described a “productive” meeting with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, in which both leaders reportedly pledged to honor federal immigration detainers in the state’s jails. That agreement, Homan said, would allow federal officers to arrest targets inside correctional facilities rather than conducting more visible street operations.
Federal agents try to clear demonstrators near a hotel, using tear gas during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis.
“If anybody thinks that Tom Homan, if President Trump, isn’t serious about immigration enforcement and having a mass deportation, then they weren't paying attention,” Homan told Hannity.
Why Jails Matter, According to Homan
Homan argued that making arrests inside jails is safer for officers, detainees and the community, and would reduce the manpower required for neighborhood operations. “One agent can arrest a bad guy in a jail rather than sending a whole team to the community,” he said, adding that outside arrests often require additional security when faced with public hostility.
Protesters chant and bang on trash cans as they stand behind a makeshift barricade during a protest in response to the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer earlier in the day, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis.
He suggested that if state and city officials follow through on honoring detainers, federal authorities could scale back visible street deployments. “We can draw down on the number of agents there, because we're in the jails,” Homan said.
Leadership Change and Local Tensions
President Trump dispatched Homan to Minneapolis this week to replace Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, whom the president said had not handled the state’s enforcement operations as effectively as desired. Trump praised Homan as “fantastic” and “a tough guy” who can work with governors and mayors.
Federal agents operating in Minneapolis neighborhoods to locate people targeted for deportation have sparked widespread protests. Homan said his goal is to reduce those tensions following unrest tied to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, while making clear enforcement will continue.
“We're going to have a mass deportation, but we're going to prioritize the arrest of criminals and public safety threats,” Homan said. “If you're in a country illegally, you're not off the table. We’ll find you, too, and deport you, too.”
The administration frames Homan’s deployment as an effort to balance public safety and immigration enforcement by coordinating more closely with state and local leaders. Critics, however, have pointed to the public backlash over neighborhood operations as evidence of deep local opposition to aggressive federal enforcement tactics.
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