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Alex Pretti shooting row: Tom Homan makes 5 big revelations at latest Minneapolis presser, lays out ICE plan
White House border czar Tom Homan, on Thursday, explained the ICE's plans for Minnesota days after Alex Pretti's death
White House border czar Tom Homan, on Thursday, explained the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s plans for Minnesota days after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The 64-year-old reiterated that federal officials are not leaving the state ‘until the problem is gone’.
In the press conference early in the day, Homan acknowledged that ICE and Border Patrol operations in Minneapolis could be improved. His statement came as several locals are protesting the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.
Read More: Alex Pretti shooting row: Video shows Minneapolis man ‘spitting’ on ICE vehicle? Fresh claims emerge
5 big revelations made by Tom Homan on Thursday
Seeking solutions
Homan said that President Donald Trump sent him to Minnesota to ‘seek solutions’.
"Bottom line is, you can’t fix problems if you don’t have discussions. I didn’t come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines. ... I came here to seek solutions, and that’s what we’re going to do." The border czar further added that the Trump admin has got ‘some good ways for the people of Minnesota’.
When will ICE leave Minneapolis?
Tom Homan further added that the ICE and federal agents are not leaving Minneapolis ‘until the problem is solved’. He said that the administration agreed that ICE ‘was a legitimate law enforcement agency that has a duty to enforce the laws enacted by Congress that keep this community safe’.
But Trump ‘did not agree with Minnesota state local officials that they would be involved in immigration enforcement’.
"I’m asking them to be cops working with cops to help us take criminal aliens off the street. Jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities are sanctuaries for criminals."
Operations could be improved
Homan admitted that ‘no organization is perfect’. His statement comes as thousands of Minneapolis locals are on the streets, protesting ICE operations. He said that Trump has ‘recognized that certain improvements could and should be made’.
The border czar met with ICE, CBP officers, and state and local officials. He ‘conveyed the president’s expectations with regard to federal immigration enforcement efforts’.
Protest Congress, not ICE
Tom Homan suggested that protestors should not protest on the streets of Minneapolis, but instead take their efforts to Washington.
"If you don't like what ICE is doing, instead of protesting this building, go protest Congress," Homan said.
‘Don’t want to see anyone die'
Homan said that he does not want to see anybody die amid ICE operations in Minnesota.
“I don’t want to see anybody die, even the people we’re looking for. I say a prayer every night that everybody was home safe.” The border czar called local officials to let officers operate and make arrests in jails rather than on the streets.
