“Border Czar” Tom Homan Refuting the president’s claims Donald Trump He was sent to Minneapolis as part of the government’s rollback of an immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

“If anyone thinks Tom Homan, if President Trump, is not serious about immigration enforcement and mass deportations, then they are not paying attention,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Friday.

In his first interview with Hannity since being deployed to Minneapolis, Homan detailed his mission to quell widespread unrest in Minnesota while making clear there would be no surrender.

“Just to clarify, because my staff said they’re seeing a lot of people saying President Trump backed off on his commitment to mass deportations — that’s untrue,” he said.

Behind the Scenes: Trump and White House rally in support of Noem as ‘radicals’ demand ouster

On January 14, White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan spoke to the media outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC. (Brendan Smirovsky/AFP via Getty Images)

“For those who want to misinterpret what it meant for President Trump to send me to Minneapolis, you’re not paying attention,” Homan said.

president donald trump Send Homan to Minneapolis The president this week replaced Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who the president said has done a poor job overseeing the state’s immigration crackdown.

“Bovino is very good, but he’s a very outgoing guy,” Trump told Fox News’ Will Cain on Tuesday. “In some cases, that’s good. Maybe it’s not so good here.”

Why Trump sending Tom Homan to Minnesota was an absolute stroke of genius

“Tom’s great. Tom’s a tough guy, but I’ve watched over the years that he gets along really well with the governor and the mayor,” he added. “Some people don’t do that. Some people just want to do their job and leave me alone.”

Split image shows Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino (left) and border czar Tom Homan (right) in El Centro, California. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu, Getty Images; Tom Brenner, The Washington Post, Getty Images)

On ‘Hannity,’ Homan reveals more about his ‘productivity’ Meeting with Minnesota Governor on Tuesday. Tim Waltz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

He said leaders are committed to respecting federal immigration detainees within Minnesota’s prison system and allowing police to arrest suspects inside jails rather than searching the streets for suspects.

“The more agents we have in our jails, the safer it is for the officers, the safer it is for aliens, and the safer it is for the community with the remaining people in jail,” Homan explained.

Federal agents searching neighborhoods for deportation targets have been a flashpoint Widespread riots in Minnesotathe public protested against their actions.

White House says Minnesota reshuffle changes leadership, not strategy, dismisses talk of ‘retreat’

Federal agents use tear gas to try to clear demonstrators near a hotel during a noise protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations, Sunday, January 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Adam Gray/AP Photo)

“One agent can arrest a bad guy in jail instead of sending an entire team out into the community,” Homan said. “With all the attacks of hate and rhetoric, we have to send another team out for security. “

“What one agent can do in a jail, we have to send 15 or 16 people to do it,” he added.

Homan said the number of federal agents in Minnesota could be reduced if Walz and Frey follow through on their commitment to cooperate.

“We can reduce the number of agents there because we’re in jail,” he said.

Minneapolis mayor to visit Washington to push for end of ‘illegal meth operation’ after blunt warning from Trump

Protesters chanted slogans and banged trash cans as they stood behind makeshift roadblocks on Saturday, January 24, 2026, in Minneapolis, where Alex Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Click here to download the Fox News app

While Homan said his goal was to quell unrest in Minnesota over the shootings of Renee Goode and Alex Pretty, he stressed his leadership would not waver.

“We will have mass deportations, but we will prioritize apprehending criminals and public safety threats,” he said.

“If you are in a country illegally, you are not excluded. We will also find you and deport you.”