Raids in Minnesota end

Immigration policy

Border Patrol commander: Raids in Minnesota will end

At the beginning of the month, US President Donald Trump announced that hundreds of border guards would be withdrawn from Minneapolis. Now the raids in the state of Minnesota should come to an end.

The controversial raids by federal authorities against migrants in the US state of Minnesota should be stopped, according to Border Patrol Commander Tom Homan. “In view of the successes,” US President Donald Trump agreed to his proposal to end the operations, Homan said at a press conference. In January, two US citizens were killed in the much-criticized operations in the city of Minneapolis.

At the press conference, Homan was satisfied with the progress on site. He stated that “many criminals” had been arrested, including people without a residence permit. Minnesota is now “less of a haven for criminals,” he continued. The Democratic leadership under Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had repeatedly disputed the Trump administration’s narrative. There was resistance among citizens against the raids, in which the migration agency ICE also took part.

In an initial reaction, Mayor Frey expressed relief at the end of the operations and criticized them as “catastrophic for our neighbors and companies.”

After the deaths of two citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, as well as violent protests, Trump indicated a course correction at the beginning of February. In an interview with NBC News, Trump said that after discussions with local leaders, he had learned that a different tone might be necessary in the tense situation: “I’ve learned that maybe we can be a little softer,” said Trump. The decision to withdraw 700 border guards from Minneapolis was based on his request.

The withdrawal of the officers had previously been announced by Homan. He came on as a substitute for hardliner Gregory Bovino. His face, like no other, is associated with Trump’s raids with highly armed officials. Trump sent Tom Homan instead, which was seen as an effort to de-escalate. Around 2,000 officers would still be on duty there, Homan said at the beginning of February.

Weeks ago, the US government sent thousands of federal officers to the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. The operations are part of Trump’s rigorous deportation policy.