ICE officers in Minnesota have been instructed to avoid engaging with “agitators” as they enforce President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, according to internal guidance reviewed by Reuters.
The new guidance, which provides a detailed look at operational changes following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, directs U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to target only immigrants with criminal charges or convictions.
This marks a departure from the broad sweeps that have faced backlash and legal challenges in Minneapolis and other U.S. cities.
An email from a top ICE official states, “DO NOT COMMUNICATE OR ENGAGE WITH AGITATORS. It serves no purpose other than inflaming the situation. No one is going to convince the other. The only communication should be the officers issuing commands.”
Following a request for comment from the White House, an administration official mentioned ongoing discussions on the most effective way to conduct operations in Minnesota. The official emphasized that no guidance should be considered final until officially issued.
The operational shift comes after Trump expressed a desire to de-escalate tensions in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Border czar Tom Homan has been tasked with leading operations in Minnesota, focusing on a more targeted approach to enforcement.
Under the new guidance outlined in the email, ICE officers will receive megaphones to issue commands to the public and are instructed to verbalize every step of the arrest process.
‘Targeted’ Arrests, Border Patrol Moved To Support Role
The updated guidance from Marcos Charles, the top official in ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division, specifies that officers can target only immigration offenders with a criminal history.
“We are moving to targeted enforcement of aliens with a criminal history,” the guidance reads. “This includes arrests, not just convictions. ALL TARGETS MUST HAVE A CRIMINAL NEXUS.”
Under former President Joe Biden, ICE officers were required to focus on serious criminals. However, the Trump administration rescinded that policy, allowing officers to arrest non-criminals without restrictions.
ICE officers are instructed to run license plate checks for potential targets and make arrests if the registered owner of the vehicle has a criminal history as an immigrant.
ICE will run the Minnesota operation with Border Patrol in a support role, a shift from previous confrontational approaches led by Gregory Bovino. The guidance notes increased cooperation from state and local officials, providing more opportunities to apprehend immigrants released on parole or probation.
(Reporting by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Edmund Klamann)
