Tom Homan Promise Questioned as Close to 650 Federal Agents Remain in Minnesota Weeks After Drawdown Announcement

Nearly three weeks after officials announced Operation Metro Surge was over, close to 650 federal agents remain in Minnesota, and the persistence of that presence has put tom homan's promised drawdown under scrutiny. The Department of Homeland Security secretary gave the figure at a Senate Judiciary hearing on March 3, a count that is substantially higher than the 150-agents footprint that had been pledged.

Tom Homan's Drawdown Promise vs. Remaining Agents

The Feb. 20 interview in which tom homan said the Department of Homeland Security would return to a "regular footprint" of 150 agents by the end of last week is at odds with recent testimony and court declarations. Department of Homeland Security testimony provided March 3 put the remaining federal presence in Minnesota at close to 650 agents. That total is roughly four times the 150 agents referenced in the earlier promise.

• Close to 650 federal agents remain in Minnesota per testimony on March 3.
• Declarations filed Feb. 23 estimated just under 600 agents would remain.
• One declaration stated roughly 407 DHS officers and agents would remain in Minnesota in March, separate from a baseline of 190 officers normally assigned to the St. Paul ICE field office.
• Customs and Border Protection indicated it would demobilize 67 remaining CBP officers for the operation by Feb. 23.
• At its peak, the operation had sent an additional 4, 000 agents into Minnesota; the intended regular footprint was described as 150 agents.

Officials have said a small contingent of security personnel would remain to support enforcement operations, and the removal of those personnel is contingent on cooperation from local law enforcement and the completion of an internal fraud investigation. Additional investigators were noted as being in the state to look into allegations of fraud.

Local Response, Legal Filings and What Comes Next

The continued presence of hundreds of federal agents has drawn skepticism from community groups and residents who said arrests were still occurring daily in suburban areas. Activist groups expressed that the discrepancy between earlier promises and the current on-the-ground numbers was not surprising. The estimates presented in testimony and declarations point to a persistent federal footprint substantially larger than what had been described as the intended baseline.

Legal activity has paralleled the public debate. Federal court filings tied to a lawsuit allege that racial profiling occurred during detainments carried out under the operation; those filings included declarations estimating just under 600 agents remaining in Minnesota by March. A district judge ordered the government in mid-February to file an affidavit or declaration regarding the drawdown, prompting the recent submissions that outline differing counts and assignments.

DHS declined to answer questions about discrepancies in public statements and cited operational security in explanations about not disclosing specific resource levels or personnel counts on the ground. That position has left observers to reconcile testimony, internal declarations and earlier public assurances.

Questions about tom homan's timeline have persisted as the state continues to show a federal presence roughly four times larger than the promised footprint. With court-ordered declarations completed and different agency tallies on the record, the situation remains in flux and further adjustments or clarifications are possible as investigations and coordination with local authorities continue.

Details may evolve as agencies reconcile operational needs, legal obligations and public expectations about the scale and duration of the federal presence in Minnesota.