Tom Homan says Minneapolis enforcement wasn’t perfect but vowed continued mass deportations—scaled and targeted, not abandoned.
A Trump administration push for mass immigration enforcement is being recalibrated after the fallout from Minneapolis-area operations, with the White House’s border point person saying the strategy will be “smarter” without backing down.
In an interview with Misryoum. Tom Homan. President Trump’s border czar. acknowledged that “things weren’t perfect” during Operation Metro Surge. a large-scale crackdown that drew intense scrutiny after deadly shootings involving federal immigration enforcement.. Homan said the administration made adjustments, framing the response as a correction rather than a retreat.
That distinction matters politically because it tests how the White House balances aggressive enforcement goals with public and legal pressure, especially when incidents involve loss of life and bipartisan calls for accountability.
Homan said he has been in discussions on how to improve immigration enforcement with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and with Todd Lyons. the acting head of U.S.. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who is expected to leave the agency later this month.. His central message: mass deportations remain a policy objective, but enforcement should be tightened to reduce perceived excesses.
Asked whether agents involved in the Minneapolis-area fatalities should face consequences if wrongdoing is found. Homan said the standard is clear: if the law was violated. responsibility must follow.. He added that policy violations should also trigger accountability, while noting that investigations into the shootings are ongoing.
In practice, this is also about messaging to two audiences at once: supporters who want aggressive removals, and critics who are demanding procedural safeguards and clearer standards for enforcement.
Homan also argued that the public has seen fewer viral arrest videos because ICE has shifted toward more “targeted” operations—focusing on people with criminal records in addition to those being in the country unlawfully.. He said that while some activities may look different than before. immigration arrests are not being paused for people without criminal histories if they are identified as in the country illegally during operations.
He rejected the idea that the administration is turning away from large-scale deportations. pointing to enforcement activity in the year since Trump returned to the White House.. Homan said he disputes claims that the approach has softened. and described the current direction as an improvement rather than a rollback.
At the end of the day, the real policy question is whether “targeted” enforcement can deliver the scale the White House is promising while also withstanding scrutiny from Congress, courts, and public watchdogs—especially as states and localities continue to clash over sanctuary rules.
Homan said he does not expect the American public to see the same kind of sweeping. highly visible crackdowns tied to the Minneapolis campaign.. But he said “mass operations” are still on the table. particularly in jurisdictions with sanctuary policies that limit local cooperation with ICE.. He characterized the current effort as a response to an “historic” immigration crisis and said the administration’s goal is a similarly historic scale of removals.