Border Patrol May Leave Minneapolis if Democrats Abandon 'Sanctuary' Policies

S.A. McCarthy : Jan 27, 2026
The Washington Stand

"Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call," the president shared in a Truth Social post. He explained that Walz "understood" that the Trump administration wanted to apprehend illegal immigrants and criminals and would be discussing a possible end to Minnesota's "sanctuary" policies with Homan. Later on, the president reported that he and Frey had also discussed a possible compromise allowing federal law enforcement operations to continue unimpeded.

[WashingtonStand.com] The North Star State's "sanctuary" policies may soon be put on ice as President Donald Trump deploys one of his most loyal allies to embattled Minnesota. After a US Border Patrol (USBP) agent assisting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations shot and killed an armed anti-ICE activist in Minneapolis over the weekend, the president announced that Border Czar and former ICE chief Tom Homan would be visiting Minneapolis to deal with the riots, rather than Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. (Screengrab image: via Fox News)

"Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me," the president wrote in a Truth Social post Monday morning. He also shared that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into Somalia-born Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), examining her connection to the widespread fraud committed by Somali immigrants in Minnesota, which the president suggested could total over $20 billion.

Homan's deployment to Minneapolis comes as ICE and other federal agents conducting immigration enforcement operations in the city have allegedly become demoralized and distressed by Noem's handling of the two ICE-related shooting incidents. In a social media post shortly after a USBP agent shot and killed armed agitator Alex Pretti, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Pretti wanted to inflict "maximum damage and massacre law enforcement," citing the multiple ammo magazines he brought with him, along with his handgun, a 9mm Sig Sauer P320.

Noem has referred to Pretti, who was seen in video footage initially filming ICE operations before physically intervening when federal agents appeared to restrain a female protestor, as a "domestic terrorist." According to reporter Bill Melugin, ICE agents have become "increasingly uneasy" and "frustrated" with DHS leadership, including Noem, for their response to the shootings, both Pretti's and the shooting of Renee Good earlier this month. "All of the [DHS] sources support the mass deportation agenda, but have serious hesitations about the way it is being carried out and the messaging that comes with it," Melugin reported. "Many of the sources have expressed frustration that ICE is routinely blamed for the actions of Border Patrol, a completely separate agency."

Democrats have repeatedly called for Noem to resign, even threatening to impeach her or to allow the federal government to lapse into a second shutdown in a bid to block funding to DHS. "Kristi Noem and her department's latest attempt to mislead the American public regarding the brutal and unjustified killing of Alex Pretti is deeply shameful, and she must be impeached and removed from office immediately," Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) said in a Sunday statement. "Another US citizen has been killed at the hands of ICE and there must be accountability, which is why Secretary Noem must be impeached immediately," Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) added in her own statement. "Under her leadership, ICE has targeted US citizens and children and killed Americans. She is not focused on safety or border security; she's focused on chaos and self-promotion, undermining local law enforcement and stoking violence as a result."

In a social media post, Omar asserted that impeaching Noem and defunding ICE was "the bare minimum" that Democrats could manage. "ICE is beyond reform. Abolish it," the Somalia-born congresswoman stated. Rep. John Larson (D-CT) charged, "I don't take impeachment lightly, but this moment demands action. Americans deserve leaders who put them above this authoritarian agenda." As of Monday evening, a House resolution to impeach Noem has 140 cosponsors. Other Democrats, like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have called on Trump to "fire" Noem, without explicitly advancing calls for her impeachment. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) suggested that Noem should resign, but threatened impeachment if the DHS chief did not depart of her own accord.

"Unfortunately, the entire Democratic Party has been mobilized for a few primary purposes. First, it's to defend open-ended migration. They are the party of mass migration, their party cannot survive without mass migration," Rep. Brad Knott (R-NC) commented on Monday night's episode of "Washington Watch." He added, "The Democrats, especially in deep-blue areas like Minneapolis, Saint Paul, they're united in trying to obstruct the president no matter what the issue is." Knott faulted Minnesota's Democratic leaders for "instigating" the violence now rocking Minneapolis. "They've dumped gasoline all over the fire around their state rather than tell people to, essentially, to stay home, do not inflame the situation. If you want to protest, do not do so by obstructing federal law enforcement."

Minnesota state Rep. Walter Hudson (R) agreed, saying that Minnesota Democrats "have intentionally created this scenario of conflict by refusing to abide by the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, by refusing to cooperate with federal law enforcement ... by delegitimizing them, calling them names like we just talked about, saying they're not real law enforcement." He continued, "They have become extraordinarily arrogant and brazen. They think they can get away with literally anything."

Referring to the rampant fraud committed by Somali immigrants in Minnesota, as well as investigations into the two ICE-related fatalities in Minneapolis, Hudson observed, "The same folks who are calling ICE Gestapo and fascists and Nazis—and saying the same thing about you and me, by the way, and everybody who votes with Republicans—they cannot be trusted to investigate either the fraud or these immigration incidents with any degree of fidelity."

Meanwhile, Trump and Homan have been negotiating with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) to ensure that immigration enforcement operations can continue smoothly, without the Democrats inciting violent resistance against ICE and necessitating USBP's presence. "Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call," the president shared in a Truth Social post. He explained that Walz "understood" that the Trump administration wanted to apprehend illegal immigrants and criminals and would be discussing a possible end to Minnesota's "sanctuary" policies with Homan. Later on, the president reported that he and Frey had also discussed a possible compromise allowing federal law enforcement operations to continue unimpeded. (Screengrab image: via Storyful-Taylor Dahlin)

"I spoke with President Trump today and appreciated the conversation," Frey confirmed in a social media post. The mayor explained that he intends to "cooperate" with federal law enforcement in the apprehension of violent criminals, but insisted that Minneapolis police would not cooperate with ICE in turning over illegal immigrants and demanded that the president withdraw federal agents from the city. "Some federal agents will begin leaving the area tomorrow, and I will continue pushing for the rest involved in this operation to go," he said Monday.

The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that USBP Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino, who has been directing Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) in protecting ICE agents and sometimes forcibly halting rioting, would be leaving Minneapolis, although DHS officials refuted claims that Bovino's position as Commander-at-Large has been eliminated altogether. Reporter Nick Sortor, who has been active on the ground in Minneapolis covering the ICE operations and resistance to the federal law enforcement, alleged that neither Trump nor Noem was aware of the decision to move Bovino. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday that USBP agents would only remain active in Minneapolis if Walz and Frey maintained their "sanctuary" policies shielding illegal immigrants, but would be withdrawn if the Democrats agreed to cooperate peacefully with ICE enforcement efforts.

While Leavitt also asserted that Noem still has the president's "confidence and trust" as DHS chief, an Axios report is suggesting that Homan's deployment to Minneapolis is effectively an effort to clean up Noem's and Bovino's "mess." An unnamed Trump "adviser" told Axios, "Homan going is a good thing. Someone needed to step in," characterizing Bovino as "a cowboy" and the Minneapolis operation as "a mess. It was only escalation, and no one was going to back down."

Another unnamed Trump ally told Axios, "So it's Tom Homan to the rescue." According to the unnamed sources, Trump and Homan want Walz and Frey to agree to use state and local police to direct traffic and prevent protestors and rioters from interfering with ICE operations, while ICE continues more precise, "targeted" immigration raids and Bovino and USBP leave the city. "We're not going to let the people who lost the presidential election over immigration dictate to us on immigration," an administration official told Axios. "We can't lose Minneapolis because if we do, we lose Chicago and Los Angeles."

A recent court decision also means that Walz and Frey may have no option but to compromise and cooperate with the Trump administration. Judge Katherine Menendez of the US District Court for the District of Minnesota issued an injunction earlier this month, barring federal agents in Minneapolis from using certain tactics and tools, including detaining or pepper-spraying rioters or making traffic stops without having reason to believe that those being stopped are attempting to interfere with ICE operations. On Monday, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an indefinite stay, blocking Menendez's injunction from taking effect.

"The preliminary injunction ... limits what federal agents who take part in the operation or respond to the protests can do while carrying out their official duties," the appellate court noted in a per curiam order. The higher court determined that Menedez's injunction was unlikely to survive appellate review, in part because it was broad enough to effectively classify as a universal injunction, which the US Supreme Court made unavailable to district courts last year, but also because the injunction is "too vague" and "not specific enough."

As of Monday night, Minnesota and Minneapolis police, who have largely allowed rioters to take over entire blocks of the city over the past several weeks, have begun arresting protestors and rioters. According to video reports, a mob assembled outside the hotel where Bovino is reportedly staying and threatened the USBP leader. The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) abandoned its prior tactics, which demanded that they not assist federal personnel even when in danger, and swarmed the scene, declaring an unlawful assembly and arresting those who refused to disperse. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.