of playing cards administrative will draw 700 federal law enforcement officers minnesota “Effective immediately” Border Emperor Tom Homan he said Wednesday.

Homan said at a news conference that about 2,000 federal employees will remain in the state after the partial withdrawal, a reduction of about 25%, with the majority concentrated in the Twin Cities region, which includes Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Homan announced the withdrawal after touting “unprecedented cooperation” between the federal government and state and local entities.

Homan said the collaboration will improve efficiency and free up resources by reducing the number of police officers sent to communities “to undertake the custody of foreign criminal targets.”

“If more police officers detain criminal aliens directly from prison, there will be fewer police officers conducting criminal activity on the streets,” he said. “This is smart law enforcement, but it’s not bad law enforcement.”

He repeatedly insisted that the administration is “not surrendering” in Minneapolis, which has become a hotbed of civil unrest over the administration’s aggressive deportation tactics.

Tensions between immigration forces and protesters exploded in January after federal agents killed two Americans, Renee Nicole Goode and Alex Preti, during separate altercations.

The Department of Homeland Security and its leader, Kristi Noem, initially rushed to defend the killings while accusing Good and Preti of domestic terrorism charges.

But as public opinion on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rapidly deteriorated, the administration adjusted its tone on the deaths, and the president donald trump Homan was sent to Minnesota to manage operations in the field.

“We are not abandoning the president’s mission of mass deportation operations,” Homan said Wednesday. “If you’re in the country illegally, you’ll be deported if you’re found. But this is targeted enforcement, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”