MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday he expects the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota to end “within days, weeks and months,” based on his recent conversations with top Trump administration officials.
The Democratic governor said at a news conference that he spoke with border czar Tom Homan on Monday and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Tuesday morning. Homan took over the Minnesota operation in late January after a second fatal shooting by federal authorities and amid growing political backlash and questions about how the operation was run.
“We’re very confident but in verification mode,” Walz said. He added that he expected to hear more from the administration “in the next day or so” about the future of what he says is an “occupation” and “revenge campaign” against the state.
While Walz said he’s optimistic at the moment because “every indication I have is this thing is going to end,” he added that things could change.
“It’s my hope that Mr. Homan will go out before Friday and announce that this thing is over, and that they’re bringing him down and they’re bringing him down in a couple of days,” Walz said. “That would be my expectation.”
Officials at the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the governor’s remarks.
Walz said there was no reason to disbelieve Homan’s statement last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately, but added that the governor still has 2,300 left on Minnesota’s roads. Homan cited an “unprecedented increase in assistance” during that time that resulted in fewer federal officers being needed in Minnesota, including help from prisons that hold inmates who could be deported.
The governor also indicated that he expects the state to “cooperate in a joint investigation” into the shooting deaths of Renee Goode and Alex Pretty by federal officers, but did not elaborate. That’s a point of friction between federal officials and state investigators, who complain they’ve been hoarded as they don’t yet have access to evidence from those cases.
Walz called the press conference primarily to decry the economic impact of the increased enforcement. He spoke at The Market at Malcolm Yards, a food hall where owner Patty Wall said the entire restaurant sector of the local economy was “collateral damage” from growth.
Matt Verilek, the governor’s jobs and economic development commissioner, said Malcolm Yards would normally be bustling, but is now struggling because employees and customers are afraid to come because of the crackdown.
“So it’s good news, of course, that there seems to be a change in currency at the federal level on their activities in Minnesota,” Warilek said. “But, as the governor said, it’s a make-believe-but-verify situation. And frankly, the fear that has spread, I’
Even as Walz expressed hope that the crackdown would end soon, federal authorities made a highly visible arrest inside the lobby of the main county building in downtown Minneapolis.
After a brief foot chase, ICE officers apprehended a man who appeared in court on charges of possession of more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine.
The county’s top prosecutor, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, countered that the arrests were “disruptive and upsetting to many” and that employees in the building were afraid to leave their offices for fear of racial profiling.
If the person is deported first, the state can be penalized for drug charges.
“Using local government courts for federal civil immigration enforcement interferes with the administration of justice, prevents witnesses from testifying and robs victims of their opportunity to seek justice,” Moriarty said in a statement. She also objected to prior arrests by ICE officers of people who appeared in court there.
