Earlier this week, the administration withdrew 700 immigration agents from Minnesota. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, the withdrawal is due to increased cooperation from local jails, while maintaining a significant enforcement presence. This action comes just over two weeks after the second fatal shooting of an American citizen by ICE members. 

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) shared his thoughts on the shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE officials, which occurred on January 24th, “Whether it’s him or Renee Good, we’ve got to feel sorry for the families, and I wish the law could be enforced without people being killed. I’m not going to make a judgment or not on if it was a justified killing until the FBI gets done with their investigations. But common sense tells me, and this is giving an opinion on what I have seen on TV, if you’ve got four or five people holding somebody down, it seems to me there is not a good reason to shoot them. If you’ve got them under control. Now, did they have him under control? I guess that’s why I have to wait for the investigation.”   

In a statement released by White House Border Czar Tom Homan, he noted that jails are now allowing ICE to take migrants into custody before their release. Homan explained that working more closely with county jails reduces the need for street arrests, which he argues makes enforcement safer for agents and the public.  

With the reduction, authorities state there will still be around 2,000 agents in Minnesota.