Which mission? The combined forces of ICE and Border Patrol took over 4,000 illegal aliens off the streets of the Twin Cities over the last several weeks, many of whom committed serious crimes. That's one part of the mission, but another part demonstrated the will of the Trump administration in staring down so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions.
Operation Metro Surge succeeded in both missions and will come to an end, Tom Homan announced today. However, enforcement actions will continue:
Speaking at a news conference in the city, Border "czar" Tom Homan said coordination with local law enforcement and success of immigration enforcement have contributed to the end of Operation Metro Surge.
"I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude," he said. ...
Homan said "a significant drawdown" will begin this week and will continue into next week. He said he will remain on the ground "for a little longer" to ensure a successful end to the operation.
It's not just Homan who's sticking around:
Homan, who is a former Obama staffer, said he is not removing all federal officers for safety reasons and that immigration enforcement will continue.
In other words, the end of Operation Metro Surge does not come without conditions. The New York Times notes that Homan alluded to those subtly, by praising the sudden cooperation of officials in Minnesota. He punctuated it by declaring "sanctuary" at an end in the state:
Mr. Homan said he had made arrangements for immigration agents to have more access to undocumented inmates at county jails in Minnesota and had productive conversations with state officials. He did not immediately provide details of agreements reached with Minnesota officials.
“As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” Mr. Homan said. ...
On Thursday, Mr. Homan thanked by name some of the Minnesota officials who have been singled out for criticism by others in the Trump administration.
“We’ve seen a big change here the last couple weeks,” Mr. Homan said.
And that was the point. Democrat mayors and governors have tried to obstruct immigration enforcement for decades with their "sanctuary city" and "sanctuary state" declarations, and have refused to cooperate with ICE. Until last year, administrations of both parties didn't feel like going to the mattresses to challenge those policies, and that included Donald Trump in his first term. After the four-year stampede across the southern border, however, voters demanded tougher enforcement, and still do. That mandate allowed Trump to take on "sanctuary" declarations directly and put an effective end to obstruction.
The timing is interesting, however. At the moment, the White House and Senate Democrats are fighting over the funding for DHS. The deadline for the current CR expires tomorrow night, and thus far the two sides still remain at odds. Democrats want a requirement for judicial warrants to detain illegal aliens, which is an absurd process to apply to an administrative process. It's intended to obstruct immigration enforcement, and the White House has made clear that it's a complete non-starter. The Trump administration has the leverage in this standoff, as they have a $75 billion fund for immigration enforcement, enough to cover three years of ICE operations, apart from normal DHS funding. The shutdown will instead impact the Coast Guard, FEMA, and might shut down airline traffic by shutting down TSA ... again.
Homan's declaration this morning may reflect better cooperation in Minnesota. Its true intent, however, may be to grease the wheels in Washington by allowing Democrats to declare victory in this political fight and depart the field. Stay tuned for developments on the funding front in the next few hours.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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