The Trump administration’s border czar Tom Homan is now in Minnesota. On Thursday he addressed federal immigration operations in the state following weeks of intense protests and clashes between federal agents and local communities.
Homan said the administration’s mission in the state will shift toward a scaled-down, targeted enforcement strategy.
“We will conduct target enforcement operations, targets. What we have been working on is making this operation safer and more efficient by the book. We are not surrendering the president's mission of immigration enforcement. Let's make that clear,” said Homan.
The visit comes after the deaths of two Minnesota residents, Rene Good and Alex Pretti, who were both shot by federal agents earlier this month during separate encounters.
While Homan outlined a new strategy in Minnesota, Democratic leaders in other states, including Arizona, are calling for broader changes like a federal reform of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“They feel very emboldened to be able to stomp on everyone’s rights, and that’s just not an option,” said Arizona Representative Adelita Grijalva, during her visit to Somerton on Wednesday.
Grijalva has been outspoken in her criticism of ICE operations and said she is standing with House Democrats pushing to withhold funding from the Department of Homeland Security unless significant reforms are enacted. A DHS funding bill was blocked by Senate Democrats on Thursday.
“I’m not voting in favor of any funding going to DHS,” Grijalva said. “I know that there are other members that won’t vote in favor if there’s any more funding to ICE without some real changes to that agency.”
Recent events in Minneapolis have prompted leaders from both major political parties to call for reforms within ICE.
“They have to wear body cameras, there’s funding for that,” she said. “They had enough funding for seven years. When they’re hiring a large number of people, many of them would not qualify under a normal law enforcement hiring process. The kind of people you’re bringing into the organization are not de-escalating. That is not their goal. It’s also about what training material you’re providing people.”
Following the killing of Pretti, the Department of Homeland Security removed Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino from his role in Minneapolis. While some advocates viewed the move as progress, Grijalva said it’s not enough.
“No, I don’t think he should be anywhere near people,” she said. “Not in a position to train, not in a position to evaluate. There also has to be investigation. There also needs to be accountability. Right now, this agency doesn’t have any.”
Earlier this month, Grijalva traveled to Minnesota after the death of Good. She said the visit was intended to show solidarity with the community and to meet with local leaders and officials as they continue to navigate the ICE in their state. She said the preparedness she witnessed there was valuable as ICE continues operations in Arizona.
