February 4, 2026

Good Wednesday evening. In this edition: Homan pulls 700 agents from Minnesota, Schumer says it's not enough.

• Plus, Washington Post, California map, Cherfilus-McCormick, Iran talks and Hamas hostages.

Immigration Enforcement

White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration will withdraw 700 federal immigration enforcement officers from Minnesota "effective immediately" as he tries to deescalate tensions in the state over "Operation Metro Surge."

• The partial drawdown will leave roughly 2,000 federal agents in the state, most of them concentrated in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area.

Mr. Homan said the administration no longer needs as many officers, citing what he described as "unprecedented cooperation" between the federal government and state and local authorities.

• "More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails, means less officers on the street doing criminal operations," he said at a press conference in Minneapolis. "This is smarter enforcement, not less enforcement."

The border czar insisted the administration was "not surrendering" in Minneapolis, which has seen violent clashes and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration enforcement officers in recent weeks.

• "President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this administration, and immigration enforcement actions will continue every day throughout this country," he said. "President Trump made a promise, and we have not directed otherwise."

Mr. Homan, who assumed control of the Minneapolis operations from Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino following the killing of Alex Pretti, said agents will shift to "targeted" operations "based on reasonable suspicion," with a "focus on national security and public safety."

• "I want to be clear: just because you prioritize public safety threats don't mean we forget about everybody else," he said. "We will continue to enforce the immigration laws in this country."

Mr. Homan also announced that all ICE and Border Patrol officers will begin wearing body cameras — a move sought by congressional Democrats and some Republicans.

• "The president's supportive of this decision because we have nothing to hide and we want to be fully transparent in what we do," he said.
  
  

• "The American people seek and deserve professional, trustworthy law enforcement, and I and the president expect that any misconduct will not be tolerated and will be swiftly addressed."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the drawdown was "not close to enough," calling instead for a full withdrawal of federal agents and a host of legislative reforms.

• "Seven hundred officers is going to be like a drop in the bucket to the people of Minneapolis," he said on the Senate floor, noting that roughly 70% of the agents surged to the area would remain.
  
  

• "The chaos is going to continue, the danger that someone gets killed, God forbid, continues," he added. "All of ICE needs to leave Minneapolis now. They're not needed. Residents don't want them patrolling the streets like a military occupation."

Sen. Schumer said the only adequate way to rein in ICE and Border Patrol operations was through legislation, a position on which Democrats have conditioned their support for a future Homeland Security Department funding bill.

• "Today's announcement only affirms that the real solution to ICE is never going to come from the executive branch policing itself," he said. "We need legislation, not executive fiat subject to the whims of Donald Trump."

Democrats are seeking reforms including tighter warrant requirements, a uniform code of conduct for federal officers, a ban on agents wearing masks, and mandatory use of body cameras.

• While there is some bipartisan interest in reforms, Republican leaders have rejected two of Democrats' key demands — banning masks and requiring judicial warrants to detain undocumented immigrants.

Republicans are also pushing their own priorities, including mandating state and local cooperation with federal deportation efforts and requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

• Democratic leaders have dismissed those proposals, with Sen. Schumer labeling the citizenship requirement "Jim Crow 2.0."

Sen. Schumer said he would present Republicans with a detailed proposal "very shortly."

• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) planned to meet with President Trump this afternoon to discuss a path forward, though he told reporters he viewed the negotiations as "primarily" between the White House and Senate Democrats.

Lawmakers face a Feb. 13 deadline to reach an agreement. Absent a deal, Homeland Security Department funding could lapse.

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he will decide by Thursday how to handle the looming deadline, weighing either a short-term funding extension or a full-year stopgap.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told reporters he was a "hard no" on a full-year continuing resolution, though Sen. Schumer stopped short of that position.

• "Republicans shouldn't expect our votes if they're not willing to enact strong, tough reform," Sen. Schumer said at a press conference when asked whether Democrats would oppose another stopgap.

Watch the remarks from Mr. Homan and Sen. Schumer as well as the Democratic leaders' press conference.

In other news…

• The Washington Post laid off roughly one-third of its staff, primarily affecting the sports, books and podcast units, along with foreign desks. The Post's local team, covering Washington, will be reduced from more than 40 reporters to about a dozen. The Washington Post Guild union, which represents journalists at the newspaper, said the layoffs would have "consequences for [the Post]'s credibility, its reach, and its future." Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — the world's fourth-wealthiest man, with a net worth around $260 billion — bought the outlet in 2013. Since then, the Post has faced layoffs and turmoil in its editorial and executive ranks, as well as steep criticism after reports Mr. Bezos killed a planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election at the eleventh hour.
  
  

• The Supreme Court paved the way for California to use its new congressional map, which Democrats hope will net them as many as five seats in the November midterms. Justices rejected an emergency request from the California Republican Party and the Trump administration for an injunction blocking the map, which was approved by voters last year through Proposition 50. Last month, a federal appeals court ruled 2–1 to uphold the map that was created in response to Texas Republicans' own gerrymandering efforts.
  
  

• Talks between the U.S. and Iran over the country's nuclear program are back on for Friday after the U.S. threatened to cancel the meeting following Tehran's request to change the venue. The talks will now be held in Oman, as Iran requested, instead of Turkey. The near breakdown raised concerns among Middle Eastern leaders that President Trump was pivoting away from diplomacy and toward military action.

   

• The House Ethics Committee is considering holding a rare public hearing on the financial misconduct charges against Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Axios reported. The second-term lawmaker pleaded not guilty to federal charges on Tuesday that she conspired to steal $5 million in federal COVID disaster funds. The Ethics panel released a report last week saying it found "substantial" evidence to back up the charges, as well as allegations that she misreported campaign finances, accepted illegal donations and steered federal funding toward allies, among other allegations.
  
  

• First lady Melania Trump met at the White House with Keith and Aviva Siegel, American-Israelis who were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. The couple was taken from their home in Kibbutz Aza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Keith was held for 484 days, while Aviva spent 51 days in captivity. The Siegels also met with President Trump last year after the president helped secure a ceasefire in early 2025 that led to Keith's release.

For your radar…

• Congressional lawmakers, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), speak at the Washington Press Club Foundation's 80th annual Congressional Dinner on Wednesday night. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN2 at 8:45pm ET.
  
  

• President Trump addresses the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 7:30am ET.
  
  

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies Thursday before the Senate Banking Committee. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN at 10am ET.

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