Tom Homan appeared on multiple Sunday news programs to discuss the drawdown of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, which deployed thousands of ICE agents to Minneapolis and St. Paul. Homan stated that over 1,000 agents have departed and several hundred more will leave by Tuesday, returning the federal presence to its "original footprint." A small security force will remain temporarily to respond when agents "get surrounded by agitators," along with agents investigating fraud allegations and a church protest incident.
The operation became controversial after two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal agents during enforcement operations. These deaths prompted calls from both parties for tactical changes and ultimately led to Homan's direct involvement in Minnesota.
Concurrently, congressional Democrats are conditioning Department of Homeland Security funding on reforms to ICE and CBP operations. Their demands include mandatory body cameras, identification badges with names, a ban on masks, ending racial profiling, and requiring judicial warrants to enter private property. A partial DHS shutdown began Saturday as negotiations stalled, with Congress not returning until February 23rd.
Homan defended current ICE practices, stating agents wear agency identification placards and that masks are necessary due to threats against officers increasing by 1,500% and assaults/threats rising 8,000% (citing DHS data from January-December 2025, though the baseline period was not specified). He cited the ICE director's family being filmed and doxxed as an example. Homan called some Democratic demands "unreasonable," stating racial profiling is not occurring and that administrative warrants comply with federal law as written by Congress.
