Leavitt vows nothing will stop ICE enforcement after 4,000 illegal alien criminals caught in Minnesota
The White House is pushing back after Democrats praised the decision to scale down an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said "nothing will ever stop" President Trump’s efforts.
Operation Metro Surge, a major Department of Homeland Security immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis area, is coming to an end. The announcement follows weeks of demonstrations after two Americans were fatally shot by federal immigration agents.
Border czar Tom Homan said Thursday there would be a "significant drawdown" of immigration agents in the area. Leavitt said the mission still achieved its goals.
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"Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota has been a resounding success," Leavitt said Friday on "Fox & Friends."
"It has resulted in the detention and deportation of more than 4,000 illegal alien criminals. Let me repeat, 4,000 illegal alien criminals just from Minnesota alone," she added.
Homan took control of Minnesota operations in late January after the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti sparked widespread protests across the state. He said that while many agents are leaving, he and a smaller group will remain.
Leavitt stressed that immigration enforcement in Minnesota "absolutely will not" end, even after it scales back.
"Nothing will ever stop President Trump and this administration from targeted immigration enforcement, focusing on the worst of the worst criminals in American communities," she said.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz celebrated the removal of agents during a news conference after Homan’s announcement, arguing the federal government needs to "pay for what they broke here."
"The federal government needs to be responsible. You don't get to break things and then just leave without doing something about it," Walz said, calling on the federal government to pay for the damages in Minneapolis.
Walz added that the surge left the community with "deep damage" and "generational trauma."
Fox News Digital's Peter Pinedo and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.