Ellison Flatly Denies Claims of ICE Deal With Border Czar Tom Homan

Keith Ellison denies any ICE agreement with border czar Tom Homan.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Thursday that no new agreement exists with the federal government allowing county jails to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of inmate release dates, disputing claims made earlier by border czar Tom Homan.

In a statement, Ellison said he “did not make, and could not have made, any agreement” with Homan regarding how county sheriffs share information with ICE about individuals held in county jails. His office emphasized that Minnesota law requires state prisons, not county jails, to notify federal authorities when a person without legal status is convicted of a felony.

County jails, Ellison’s office noted, operate independently under local sheriffs and counties, which retain discretion over whether to cooperate with ICE release notifications or detainer requests.

Earlier Thursday, Homan said Ellison told him that county jails could alert ICE to the release dates of individuals considered criminal public safety risks. Homan was sent to Minnesota on Monday and has vowed to remain in the state while overseeing ICE operations “until the problem is gone,” referencing increased unrest in Minneapolis.

Homan made the remarks during a Thursday morning news conference — his first since President Donald Trump deployed him to the region. He described the meeting with Ellison as “very productive,” claiming the attorney general agreed to notify ICE when local jails were releasing violent illegal immigrants, a key request from federal law enforcement.

During the briefing, Homan argued that arresting individuals while they are still in custody is safer for both officers and the public.

“One ICE agent can arrest one bad guy when he’s behind the safety and security of a jail,” Homan said. “But when you release that public safety threat back into the community, we still have a job to do — and now we have to find him.”

Tom Homan

Homan added that arrests carried out in the community often require larger teams and pose greater risks due to the potential presence of weapons.

“So now we’ve got to arrest somebody on his turf,” he said. “Now we’ve got to send a whole team out.”

Homan also called for an end to what he described as hostile rhetoric and threats against ICE officers, saying agents will continue operating in the Twin Cities.

“President Trump wants this fixed, and I’m going to fix it with your help,” Homan said.

Trump deployed Homan to Minnesota following heated clashes between anti-ICE agitators and federal agents across the Twin Cities. The unrest has drawn national attention and heightened tensions surrounding immigration enforcement in the region.