700 Federal Agents Withdrawn From Minnesota, Homan Announces

Border czar Tom Homan announced that roughly 700 federal law enforcement personnel will be withdrawn from Minnesota immediately, leaving more than 2,000 federal officers still deployed in the state. Homan said, with President Trump’s backing, his objective is ‘to achieve a complete drawdown and end this surge as soon as we can.’ The move follows weeks of protests over stepped-up immigration enforcement and confrontations between demonstrators and federal agents, including the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month. The operation and ICE tactics have provoked growing community anger, fueled by high-profile cases such as the apprehensions of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and fourth-grader Elizabeth Zuna, which frightened immigrant families and prompted local responses. Schools reported higher absenteeism and some families relocating to avoid enforcement; Valley View Elementary principal Jason Kuhlman said teachers have been doing welfare checks on missing students and providing food and other assistance because many parents are too afraid to leave home. Two Minnesota school districts and a teachers union have sued the Trump administration to bar ICE raids near schools, arguing the activities disrupt learning and endanger students and staff; the Department of Homeland Security has said ICE is not going into schools to arrest children. The announcement came as President Trump, in an interview, described a somewhat softer enforcement tone while maintaining a tough overall stance. Officials did not provide a timetable for a full withdrawal.