Tom Homan spent weeks battling Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over ICE operations.
Frey called the surge an "occupation" and told federal agents to get out of his city.
But Thursday night on Fox News, Homan said five words about Frey that stunned everyone watching – and explained exactly how Trump just outmaneuvered the entire Democrat resistance playbook.
Democrats Celebrated As Operation Metro Surge Ended
When Homan announced the Minnesota ICE surge was ending, Democrats celebrated like they'd won.
Senator Amy Klobuchar declared victory, claiming "Minnesotans stood together, stared down ICE, and never blinked."
Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne said he didn't believe "a word that comes out of Homan's mouth" and called the whole thing a lie.
But here's what they missed while they were taking their victory lap.
Border Czar Tom Homan Revealed The Real Strategy On Live TV
Laura Ingraham asked Homan the question everyone wanted answered – why are you talking to people like Frey and Governor Tim Walz who spent months attacking you?
Homan's response: "I don't have to talk in an echo chamber. I need to talk to the people who disagree with us. That's how we find solutions."
Then he dropped the line that changes everything.
"What makes them tick? Why do you think the way you think?"
This wasn't retreat.
This was Trump's border czar doing exactly what Minneapolis Democrats said was impossible – forcing them to cooperate without ever backing down an inch.
The Arrest Numbers Tell The Story Democrats Won't Admit
Homan cited the breakthrough that made Democrats' resistance collapse.
Over 4,000 arrests in Minneapolis during the surge – criminals the city was protecting by refusing ICE access to county jails.
Then Minnesota state prisons and county jails agreed to notify ICE before releasing criminal illegal aliens.
The efficiency gain is massive.
One ICE agent can now arrest "one bad guy in the safety and security of a jail" instead of deploying 12 agents into neighborhoods with backup security teams to protect them from violent protesters.
That means ICE doesn't need 2,400 agents on Minneapolis streets anymore.
Jacob Frey Wanted Federal Agents Gone – Trump Made Him Part Of Immigration Enforcement
Remember Frey's demand that ICE "get the bleep out" of Minneapolis?
He got his wish – but not the way he wanted.
ICE is drawing down because Minnesota officials agreed to do what they said they'd never do: coordinate with federal immigration enforcement.
Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are now working with Homan on jail access protocols.
Counties are notifying ICE about criminal releases.
The "sanctuary city" that spent years bragging about protecting illegal aliens just became a partner in Trump's deportation operation.
Trump's Border Czar Just Gave Sanctuary Cities A Masterclass In Negotiation
Homan never threatened to keep the surge going forever.
He never demanded Democrats publicly admit they were wrong.
He just explained the math – either give us jail access, or we'll need 12 times as many agents on your streets protecting themselves from your protesters.
Your choice.
Minnesota Democrats chose cooperation.
Now Homan can redeploy those agents to the next sanctuary city that thinks it can outlast Trump's deportation machine.
ICE Enforcement Partnerships Are Exploding Nationwide
This same playbook is rolling out across America – and it's working.
Red states are passing laws requiring all local law enforcement to sign formal ICE partnership agreements.
As of February 6th, DHS has partnership agreements with 1,381 law enforcement agencies in 40 states – ten times more than when Biden left office.
Even in blue states without mandates, sheriffs in smaller jurisdictions are signing up voluntarily because they want criminals out of their communities.
The sanctuary city model just collapsed in the city Democrats held up as their strongest example of resistance.
Trump's Deportation Promise Isn't Slowing Down – It's Getting More Efficient
Homan made this crystal clear to Ingraham when she asked if Trump was backing down from his campaign promise.
"Mass deportations will continue. If you're in the country illegally, we're looking for you, we're going to arrest you, and we're going to deport you. Nothing's changed."
The administration has already conducted over 700,000 deportations – a record – with 70 percent being criminals.
That's a better stat than arresting 700,000 and having 70 percent be non-criminals, Homan noted.
Prioritizing the worst criminals first makes perfect sense for public safety.
Democrats Called Operation Metro Surge An Occupation – Trump Called It Leverage
The Minneapolis surge was never meant to be permanent.
It was designed to force exactly what happened – sanctuary cities realizing that obstructing ICE costs them more than cooperating.
Now Minnesota has agreements in place that will keep working long after the federal agents leave.
Homan put it bluntly: "Over 800 flights a day land in St. Paul, Minnesota. If we need to come back, we'll come back."
That's not a retreat.
That's a warning.
The Immigration Enforcement Conversation Nobody Expected
The most revealing moment came when Homan explained why he's meeting with Democrats who've spent years calling ICE agents Nazis.
"I got to understand, don't agree, understand what position he's coming from."
This isn't about making friends.
It's about figuring out what makes Democrat mayors tick – what pressure points will force them to choose cooperation over endless confrontation.
Trump found Minnesota's pressure point: deploying enough federal agents to disrupt the city until local officials agreed to notify ICE about criminal releases.
It worked.
What This Means For Every Other Sanctuary City
Minneapolis thought it could wait Trump out.
It thought protests and resistance would force ICE to back down.
Instead, it got exactly what Trump promised – targeted enforcement of immigration law with local cooperation.
The agents are leaving because the mission is complete, not because Democrats won.
And every other sanctuary city in America just watched the playbook that will be used on them next.
Homan didn't just outmaneuver Mayor Frey.
He turned him into proof that Trump's deportation strategy works – even in cities that swore they'd never cooperate.
Sources:
- "Homan: Figuring Out What Makes The People Who Disagree With Us Tick, 'That's How We Find Solutions,'" RealClearPolitics, February 13, 2026.
- "Border czar Tom Homan: Minnesota ICE surge to end," Star Tribune, February 12, 2026.
- "Trump administration says it is ending its immigration surge in Minnesota," NBC News, February 12, 2026.
- "Tom Homan Shreds Democrat Victory-Lapping Over ICE's MN Drawdown With Inconvenient Facts," RedState, February 12, 2026.
- "Analysis: Cooperation with ICE is the latest red vs. blue state divide," CNN Politics, February 8, 2026.
