WASHINGTON (AP) — White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota's Twin Cities area and hundreds more will depart in the days ahead as part of the Trump administration’s drawdown of its immigration enforcement surge.
A “small” security force will stay for a short period to protect remaining immigration agents and will respond “when our agents are out and they get surrounded by agitators and things got out of control,” Homan told CBS' “Face the Nation.” He did not define “small.”
He also said agents will keep investigating fraud allegations as well as the anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a church service.
“We already removed well over 1,000 people, and as of Monday, Tuesday, we’ll remove several hundred more,” Homan said. “We’ll get back to the original footprint.”
Thousands of officers were sent to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's “Operation Metro Surge.” The Department of Homeland Security said it was its largest immigration enforcement operation ever and proved successful. But the crackdown came under increasing criticism as the situation grew more volatile and two U.S. citizens were killed.
Protests became common. A network of residents worked to help immigrants, warn of approaching agents or film immigration officers’ actions. The shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers drew condemnation and raised questions over officers’ conduct, prompting changes to the operation.
Homan announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately, but that still left more than 2,000 in the state. He said Thursday that a “significant drawdown” was already underway and would continue through this week.
Homan said enforcement would not stop in the Twin Cities and that mass deportations will continue across the country. Officers leaving Minnesota will report back to their stations or be assigned elsewhere.
When asked if future deployments could match the scale of the Twin Cities operation, Homan said “it depends on the situation.”
White House border czar Tom Homan holds a news conference at the Bishop Whipple Federal building on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
White House border czar Tom Homan holds a news conference at the Bishop Whipple Federal building on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026 in Minneapolis. (Leila Navidi /Star Tribune via AP)
White House border czar Tom Homan holds a news conference at the Bishop Whipple Federal building on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
MILAN (AP) — Everyone expected Femke Kok to win the 500-meter speedskating gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Even her Dutch teammate, Jutta Leerdam, the woman who beat Kok in the 1,000. Even the defending champion, Erin Jackson.
And, well, Kok did, too. Embracing those expectations rather than fighting them, Kok extended her two-year-plus unbeaten streak at her sport's shortest distance Sunday, adding a gold medal and the Olympic record to her world mark, beating Jackson head-to-head in the final heat and relegating Leerdam to the silver.
“I really wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it,” said Kok, who reversed the result from the 1,000 meters on Monday, when she got the silver. “I knew for myself the only thing that mattered was gold.”
Kok powered through the final turn of the 500 and easily pulled away from Jackson, finishing in 36.49 seconds — a whopping 0.66 seconds ahead of teammate Leerdam.
“We’re a really small country,” Kok said about the Netherlands and its population of under 20 million, “but we can do speedskating.”
Miho Takagi of Japan was third in 37.27, picking up her second bronze of these Winter Games and ninth career Olympic medal. Her totals: two golds, four silvers and three bronzes.
Jackson was fifth in 37.32, four years after her 500 triumph for the United States made her the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics in any sport.
“Femke has been the person to chase for the past few years. She’s just been amazing,” Jackson said. “If I have the perfect race, I could probably give her a run for her money.”
But Jackson didn't have a perfect race: Sure, her start was terrific, but she stumbled a bit at one point, losing crucial time.
“I was coming closer and closer and closer,” Kok said, “and then I knew, ‘OK, I’m going fast.’”
As she usually does in the 500, an event she last lost in February 2024. When Kok crossed the line Sunday, she threw her arms overhead to the delight of the many, many Dutch spectators, then skated a little more before covering her face with both hands.
That was quite a contrast to Leerdam’s reaction after she temporarily took the lead in the 12th of 15 heats.
She got off to something of a slugging start and was behind Takagi’s pace after 100 meters. While Leerdam did manage to better that time, she let out a big exhale afterward and didn’t look particularly pleased.
“She deserves it, for sure. She’s super good in the 500,” Leerdam said about Kok. “Silver in the 500 is such a win for me. I already felt complete after the win in the 1,000 — and now I have this one.”
Kok prevented Leerdam from becoming just the third female speedskater to win the 500 and 1,000 at the same Olympics.
“We pushed each other the last couple of years to a higher level,” Kok said. “She's doing her own thing; I'm doing my own thing. We have a lot of respect for each other. She’s doing it her way; I’m doing it my way.”
Also Sunday, Italy beat the U.S. head-to-head by nearly a second in the men’s team pursuit quarterfinals but both advanced because they turned in the two fastest overall times. The Italian trio of Davide Ghiotto, Andrea Giovannini and Michele Malfatti finished in 3 minutes, 38.40 seconds, and the U.S. squad of Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman clocked 3:39.37.
In Tuesday’s semifinals, Italy will meet the Netherlands, and the Americans — who left the Beijing Games with the bronze and set the event’s world record in November — go up against China. The final also will be contested that day.
Two-time defending Olympic champion Norway finished with only the sixth-best time of the eight quarterfinalists Sunday and was eliminated.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Snoop Dog watches the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Jake Paul of the U.S. screams as his fiancée Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands celebrates with her silver medal on the podium of the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Fifth placed Erin Jackson of the U.S. catches her breath after competing in the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Femke Kok of the Netherlands, center and gold medal celebrates with Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands, left and silver medal, and Miho Takagi of Japan, right and bronze medal, on the podium of the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Miho Takagi of Japan celebrates winning the bronze medal in the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Femke Kok of the Netherlands celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Gold medallist Femke Kok of the Netherlands competes against Erin Jackson of the U.S., rear, in the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Femke Kok of the Netherlands celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Femke Kok of the Netherlands, left, celebrates winning a gold medal with silver medallist Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands, right, in the women's 500 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
