Will Tom Homan dial down the outrage in Minnesota and create more cooperation? Or at least “tone it down a notch,” as John suggested last night?
So far, it seems that Homan has gotten off to a good start for a reset. An ungracious Tim Walz told CNN that Homan has been “professional” and that talks are at least underway. Walz claims that Homan’s assignment is mainly due to bad PR, and Walz declares that he’s not interested in “a more efficient Operation Metro Surge,” but instead wants federal immigration officers out of his state. However, as Walz says, talking is an improvement:
Gov. Tim Walz refers to Tom Homan as a professional.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 28, 2026
Walz may want to position himself as the man dictating outcomes, but the Wall Street Journal paints a very different picture. Homan showed up to improve communication and cooperation, and thereby reducing the friction that has lent itself to violent obstruction in the streets. However, the WSJ reports that Homan delivered a very clear message about what it will take to reduce the federal efforts in Minnesota:
Tom Homan, the White House border czar, arrived here with a series of demands for Minnesota’s Democratic leaders. Topping the list: an agreement from them to turn over more immigrants from the state’s prisons and jails, people familiar with the matter said.
Homan’s task, the people said, is to secure what the administration can count as concessions from the state’s Democrats—several of whom have been subpoenaed by the Justice Department—in exchange for a drawdown of federal agents. …
Homan met Tuesday with Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, two Democrats who had been warring with President Trump and Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who until Monday was carrying out the administration’s operation in the city. Bovino since has been removed and sent back to his old post on the southern border.
There weren’t immediate indications that both sides in the Minnesota standoff had agreed to join up in support of the White House’s immigration agenda. Frey, who was among those targeted with a Justice Department subpoena, said he told Homan that the city wouldn’t enforce federal immigration laws.
Frey doesn’t have much choice. If he wants to continue his “sanctuary city” policies, then ICE and Border Patrol agents can continue their operations as well. The federal government has clear authority and jurisdiction to do so, and the Eighth Circuit made that even clearer on Monday. Minnesota’s attempts to sue the federal government out of the state on immigration enforcement will fail on the Supremacy Clause every time, a position that Barack Obama firmed up when shutting down Arizona’s attempts to enforce immigration law (SB 1070) while Obama’s DHS was exhibiting malign neglect of that responsibility, albeit on a much smaller scale than during the Biden Regency.
If Frey balks, Walz could also overrule him. There are no federalism concerns in the relationships between state and local governments. Walz can overrule Frey on this point if he wants, although it would get messy for a while if he does so. Homan has to set the incentives to make Walz want to do so, of course, and Homan’s pressure through these operations may be enough to make it happen. We already saw a brief glimpse of this when Walz apparently authorized the state police to clear a demonstration in front of a hotel Monday night that reportedly housed immigration enforcement officials.
Donald Trump claimed that he’d had a “very good call” with Frey yesterday, but made clear this morning that he has no intention of backing down from enforcing federal law:
Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, “Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws.” This is after having had a very good conversation with him. Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!
Walz will have the ultimate say in how cooperation works with the Department of Homeland Security. Homan didn’t come to Minnesota to pull out; he came to negotiate terms of cooperation. Walz at least seems to understand this, and also belatedly realizes that dialing down tensions is in everyone’s interests at this point. And at least that’s an improvement over the last few weeks of La Résistance obstruction.
Meanwhile, nearby Maple Grove understands enforcing the law better than Frey does. Maybe everyone’s had enough of Minneapolis Crazy.
🚨TONIGHT: Libs thought they hit the goldmine leaking BOVINO’S supposed “HQ”
Little did protestors know that Maple Grove Police ACTUALLY show up!
They ran circles around these clowns tonight and mopped the floor. Ain’t nobody f-ing with Bovino’s crew! pic.twitter.com/El3qezk5ji
— Kev Posobiec (@KevinPosobiec) January 27, 2026
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