Donald Trump's border tsar says he is working on a plan to pull federal agents out of Minnesota as part of a major shift in strategy in the controversial local immigration crackdown.
"We can do better," Tom Homan said. But his plan was contingent on local authorities allowing agents into jails so they could seize and deport unauthorised migrants before they were released.
"What we've been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book," Mr Homan said at a press conference in Minneapolis.
"President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognised that certain improvements could and should be made. That's exactly what I'm doing here."
Mr Homan — who has worked for every president since Ronald Reagan apart from Joe Biden — has a long-standing stated preference for targeted deportation efforts focused on people with criminal histories.
It puts him at odds with other White House officials who favour more random checks in public places and raids on sites, including workplaces. But some rights groups say there is little difference between Mr Homan and other officials who advocate for more aggressive tactics, apart from their public messaging.
Days of violent scenes in Minneapolis, and particularly the killing of two protesters by federal agents, has fuelled intensifying public pressure for a change in approach there. It prompted Mr Trump to remove controversial Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino from the operation and put Mr Homan in charge.
"I'm not here because the federal government has carried this mission out perfectly," Mr Homan said.
He said "great progress" had been made in talks with local authorities since his arrival several days ago, which he hoped would result in immigration agents being given access to local jails to seize and deport unauthorised migrants.
"So if we get these agreements in place, that means less agents on the street," he said.
"More agents in the jail means less agents in the street. This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here."
Earlier this month, the Trump administration accused Minnesota's leaders of protecting 1,360 "violent criminals" who were in state custody by refusing to allow their transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local leaders say it is a phony argument.
Minnesota's corrections commissioner told local media only about 300 people in the state's jails and prisons were subject to ICE requests for transfer.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently said he told Mr Trump that "his staff doesn't have their facts straight". In a newspaper column, he said the state's corrections department always offered to transfer unauthorised migrants to ICE custody before their release.
Mayor Jacob Frey — who Mr Trump warned was "playing with fire" if he did not cooperate with federal efforts — said he would meet members of Congress in Washington on Thursday, local time, and continue to push for an end to the crackdown in Minneapolis.
