Minneapolis Retreat Could Undercut Democrats’ Message As Shutdown Looms

The Trump administration’s decision to end its immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis could undermine Democrats’ messaging leverage on the eve of an expected partial government shutdown.

By pulling out of Minneapolis — the epicenter of the left’s fight to overhaul federal immigration enforcement after federal agents killed two American citizens — administration officials and allies argue that Democrats will lose political steam as attention gradually fades from the administration’s aggressive enforcement actions.

“I know everyone was concerned about ICE’s future if we kept acting like idiots,” said an administration official, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “If we are really doing our job well, you won’t notice or have anything to complain about.”

“It’s a side effect of Tom [Homan]’s leadership,” the person added, pointing to the hope that the border czar’s presence in Minneapolis could tame tensions on the ground.

The administration’s retreat in Minnesota comes as immigration hawks have pushed Trump officials to stand firm and avoid caving to Democratic demands on policy changes in exchange for funding the Department of Homeland Security. Those demands have included a prohibition on federal agents wearing masks to an expansive limit on places where agents can operate. The belief among some administration officials and allies is that Democrats will eventually bend once agencies such as TSA and FEMA begin to feel the squeeze of a prolonged shutdown.

A person close to the Trump administration, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, said the deescalation in Minneapolis will help avoid “major incidents” and keep immigration enforcement “off the front pages” in the weeks ahead.

“Then Democrats start to lose their leverage a little bit,” the person said.

Homan on Thursday morning announced that the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota was ending, a pronouncement that came hours after the White House sent text of its funding counterproposal to Democrats late Wednesday. A senior White House official, granted anonymity to speak about internal thinking, said the decision to leave Minneapolis “functionally … isn’t about leverage” but about “executing immigration enforcement in a way that keeps the American public safe.”

“I think certainly when Democrats talk about progress being made — what is progress, if not the surge ending in Minneapolis and a serious, detailed, substantive and binding proposal dealing with Department of Homeland Security enforcement practices on the table?” said the senior White House official. “If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is.”

But Democrats insist that the retreat in Minneapolis does not mark a serious, lasting change in the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation efforts. Though a victory, Democrats feel the Minneapolis withdrawal doesn’t negate the need for legislative changes to how ICE and Border Patrol operate across the country.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said ICE’s “abuses cannot be solved through executive fiat alone,” and that Democrats will continue to push for legislation — a message other Democratic lawmakers echoed on Thursday.

“Just because [Trump’s] slinking out of Minneapolis doesn’t mean he won’t do it to another city, another town, he won’t try to put them at a polling place,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.). “So the need for significant reforms stands, regardless of whether he’s trying at the 11th hour to pull back.”

Democrats this week panned the White House’s funding offer as “insufficient” and “unserious,” arguing that it didn’t address some of their major demands, including requiring federal law enforcement officials to obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property.

The senior White House official declined to detail the administration’s offer, but said the legislative specs sent to Democrats are “substantive” and “serious” and that they’re willing to “work in a bipartisan way to ensure — as we’ve seen with Tom Homan in Minneapolis — that we’re enforcing immigration law in the optimal way possible.” The official added that the judicial warrant policy is a red line for the White House, as well as any concessions that might impede the president’s efforts to fulfill his immigration agenda.

Homan on Thursday, speaking from Minneapolis, said a significant drawdown of agents was already underway, and that it would continue into next week. And hours after his announcement, acting ICE chief Todd Lyons told the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that his agency will be looking at “lessons learned” after Minneapolis.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have echoed the White House’s argument that the actions are evidence the administration is looking to make progress in negotiations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Thursday that the White House “has given more and more ground on these key issues.”

“I think the moves that have been made as recently as today by Tom Homan to pull everybody out of Minneapolis, I think is also certainly a demonstration of good faith,” he said.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee panel in charge of DHS funding, also said Homan’s announcement represents a major concession.

“We have exchanged text. That’s what you do in a negotiation, you work to find a pathway forward,” Britt said Thursday. “There was an announcement today that shows we are operating in good faith.”

Jordain Carney contributed to this report.