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Homan signals strategy shift in MN

Says focus will be on 'targeted' enforcement

By: Jeanine Santucci
Christopher Cann
Joey Garrison
Francesca Chambers and Michael Loria
USA today

..... White House border czar Tom Homan on January 29 [2026] vowed to "draw down" the feudal presence in Minnesota as agents focus on more "targeted enforcement, a major shift in operations that comes amid backlash following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by immigration officers.
..... "You're going to see some massive changes occurring here in this city," Homan said, adding that there will be "less agents in the street" as federal authorities concentrate on detaining those with criminal records, something he said the Minneapolis operations had strayed from.
..... Homan, whom President Donald Trump sent recently to take over operations in Minnesota, described "great progress" with state and local officials, which could lead to agreements that would give mitigation authorities broader access to local jails. Homan also acknowledged that the operation in Minnesota needed changes.
..... "I'm here because the federal government has carried its mission out perfectly," he said. "What we've been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient by the book. The mission is going to improve because of the changes we're making internally."
..... The announcement marked the most significant shift in operations since federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis in recent weeks, [01/2026] sparking nationwide protests, a flurry of lawsuits, friction in the Republican Party, and a growing dissatisfaction with the Trump administration' aggressive immigration enforcement.
..... As pressure mounted, Trump on January 26 [2026] replaced Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino with Homan and promised to "de-escalate" the operation in Minnesota.
..... Homan instated that the administration was not backing down on Trump's priority of deporting migrant who have committed violent crimes.
..... "We are not surrendering the president;s mission on immigration enforcement, let's make that clear," Homan said.
..... Meanwhile, Senator Susan Collin on January 29 [2026] announced that an immigration operation in Maine had ended less than 10 days after it began. Collins, a Republican, said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem informed her of the news.

'Targeted' operations

..... Homan, addressing reporters for the first time since arriving in Minnesota three days ago, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents in Minnesota are conducting "targeted enforcement operations" - the same approach he said the federal government has taken for decades.
..... "That's traditionally been the case, and that's what we're going to do," Homan said. "When we hit the streets, we know exactly who we're looking for and a good idea of where we may find them."
..... Agents will carry out "targeted, strategic enforcement operations" with a focus on public safety threats, he said.
..... "They're trying to do it professionally. If they don't they'll be dealt with," Homan said. "Like any other federal agency, we have standards of conduct."
..... He said federal immigration agents are operation in a "challenging environment under tremendous circumstances" and called protesters on the ground "agitators."
..... Homan said there will be zero tolerance for interfering, impeding or assaulting officers.

New Pretti video

..... New video circulating Online shows Pretti involved in a heated encounter with federal agents less than two weeks before he was fatally shot by immigration officers.
..... Video of the earlier encounter, recorded January 13, [2026] shows Pretti apparently yelling at the driver of a Ford SUV. As the vehicle pulls away, Pretti kicks and breaks one of its rear taillights. The vehicle than stops and a federal officer jumps out of the back seat before tacking Pretti. Other officers soon join the scuffle, but they eventually let him go.
..... The video does not capture what led up to the confrontation.
..... A family representative told CBS News the family was aware of the incident and that Pretti was injured but did not receive medical care.
..... The video was shared on X by Vice President JD Vance.

Frey travels to DC

..... Homan said he's met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. He said his mission is to "regain law and order" in Minnesota.
..... "I didn't come to Minnesota for photo-ops or headlines," Homan said. "I came here to seek solutions, and that's what we're going to do."
..... Frey, in Washington on January 29 [2026] for a meeting of the U.S. conference of Mayors, said in a statement that he intends to join leaders of other cites to urge lawmakers to rein in ICE.
..... "Minneapolis may be where we've seen one of the largest ICE deployments in the country, but it will not be the last if we fail to act," Frey said in the statement. "I'm going to Washington to make the case for ending this strategy and replacing it with approaches that build trust, improve safety, and put our residents first."

Judges fault ICE, DHS

..... It was ICE that was flouting the law by ignoring dozens of federal court orders during the immigration enforcement surge this month, [01/2026] a federal judge in Minneapolis said January 28. [2026]
..... While canceling a contempt-do-court hearing for acting ICE chief Todd Lyons, after the agency belatedly complied with an order form Ecuador, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz listed at least 96 court orders he said ICE had violated in 74 cases.
..... Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim in Minnesota issued a temporary restraining oder January 28 [2026] barring DHS from arresting or detaining refugees in testate and ordering the agency to release any refugees in agency custody.

..... Contributing: Charles Ventura, Thao Nguyen, Terry Collins, USA Today; Reuters

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