Minnesota, US government withdraws 700 operational forces

2026-02-05 08:38:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Protection (CBP) agencies in Minnesota have come under fire. The government has now announced a partial withdrawal of forces.

The actions of the US immigration authorities ICE and the border protection agency CBP have sparked massive protests in the state of Minnesota. In particular, the fatal shooting of two American citizens in Minneapolis has caused horror.

Now, US President Donald Trump's Border Patrol Commissioner, Tom Homan, has announced the withdrawal of 700 of the approximately 3,000 operational forces in the country. This includes members of ICE and CBP forces. Homan stressed that the decision should not be seen as an abandonment of the policy of mass deportations.

"Improved coordination on the ground"

Last week, Homan had already floated the idea of ??a partial withdrawal after talks with local Democratic Party leaders. Now he has justified the decision on the grounds of improved coordination on the ground. According to Homan, irregular immigrants who were in prison could be detained immediately after their release by ICE agents. According to Homan, this would require only two agents instead of ten.

Previously, ICE officials were often not informed of releases and therefore had to search for irregular migrants to carry out deportations.

Trump said a "softer approach" may be necessary

US President Donald Trump further said in an interview with NBC News that he has ordered a reduction in the number of immigration officers in Minnesota and that a "softer approach" may be necessary.

When asked at length whether the decision announced by Tom Homan to withdraw about a quarter of the federal immigration agents stationed in Minnesota came from him, Trump replied: "Yes, yes." "But it didn't come from me because I wanted to," the president added.

When asked about the lessons that can be learned from what happened in Minnesota, Trump responded: "I've learned that maybe we can have a little bit of a softer approach. But we have to continue to be tough."

A new international poll from Gallup shows that Americans are especially concerned about politics and governance, compared to residents of more than 100 countries around the world.

Protest against the actions of the operational forces

Weeks ago, the US government sent thousands of federal officers to the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. In Minneapolis, ICE's brutal action was met with resistance. After the shooting deaths of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by police officers, anger and protests spread across the country. Critical voices were also raised within the Republican Party.

As pressure mounted, Trump pulled the embattled Border Patrol commander, Gregory Bovino, from Minneapolis. He sent Tom Homan in his place, in what was seen as an attempt to ease tensions./ DW