White House border czar Thomas Homan made the trip to Minnesota this week for what sounds like a diplomatically tense but surprisingly civil set of meetings with state officials who don't exactly share his worldview on immigration enforcement.

Finding Some Middle Ground

Homan posted on X Tuesday that he'd sat down with Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and top law enforcement brass to hash out "issues on the ground in Minnesota." The focus, according to Homan, was supporting police and getting criminals off the streets—goals that pretty much everyone can agree on, even if the details get messy.

"While we don't agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point," Homan wrote, adding that he's looking forward to more conversations with stakeholders in the coming days.

He tied the whole discussion back to President Donald Trump's broader vision, noting that "President Trump has been clear: he wants American cities to be safe and secure for law-abiding residents — and they will be."

State Attorney General Pushes Back

Not everyone's buying the framing, though. Minnesota Attorney General Nick Brown pushed back against any implication that the streets are filled with dangerous extremists. He said most people out in Minnesota communities are just ordinary folks who care about their neighborhoods, not troublemakers.

Brown took aim at the president for what he called fostering division, fear, and political gridlock—tactics he suggested were designed to avoid scrutiny. He called for more public engagement and action from other branches of government to provide oversight of federal operations.

Scaling Back Federal Presence After Deadly Operation

The timing of these meetings matters. They came right after a federal deportation operation in Minneapolis went tragically wrong, resulting in the deaths of two American citizens. That incident clearly shifted the tone of conversations between federal and state officials.

On Monday, Trump and Walz had a phone call that both sides described as more conciliatory. Trump said he was "on a similar wavelength" with the governor following the deployment of thousands of federal agents to the Minneapolis–St. Paul region.

Walz's office called the conversation "productive" and said Trump agreed to consider reducing the federal presence. The president also reportedly agreed to direct the Department of Homeland Security to allow Minnesota authorities to investigate the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.

Mayor Frey added that Trump acknowledged the situation "can't continue" and indicated some agents would start leaving the Twin Cities on Tuesday.