News Reporter: Bringing calm to Minneapolis

Friend,

Recent developments in Minneapolis, where White House Border Czar and Catholic Tom Homan led a strategic draw-down of 700 ICE personnel, have brought order to what has become a chaotic and dangerous situation for both federal immigration officers and citizens who have been attempting to impede lawful immigration enforcement.

It marked a welcome pivot in the how, and not the why, of the immigration debate; a real-time application of prudence in the political realm.

Homan accomplished this not by dealing in news soundbites, grandstanding for cameras, or capitulation. He did it through common sense negotiation.

As he explained, far fewer agents would be needed in Minneapolis if local jails would simply notify ICE when someone they are seeking is being released. "We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets," he reported.

This prudence is especially striking given the climate of moral confusion in which some Catholics (including members of the hierarchy) speak as if immigration enforcement is inherently unjust.

But—as we explain in our report on Immigration Enforcement and the Christian Conscience—regulating migration for the common good is not an enemy of charity. The state is a real moral actor charged with order, justice, peace, and the protection of its people; including the protection of the vulnerable from exploitation by criminals who thrive on chaos.

That said, enforcement methods are not above moral evaluation. The Church has every right to question how policies are applied—especially if enforcement actions are reckless, humiliating, indiscriminate, or unnecessarily destructive to families.

And when mistakes happen as they inevitably will, the Church should insist on transparency, remedies, and higher standards.

But two clarifications are essential.

First, critique of the "how" must not become a covert denial of the "why." If every instrument of enforcement is portrayed as inherently cruel, then the only practical outcome is open borders by moral intimidation. That is not Catholic teaching; it is an ideological posture.
Second, opposition must not demonize legitimate tools of governance. A serious society cannot enforce immigration law with vibes and press releases. It requires investigations, detention capacity, adjudication, removals, and cooperation between agencies.

Catholics can debate the prudence of particular policies. But if Catholic leaders talk as if the mere existence of enforcement infrastructure is immoral, they aren't defending human dignity: they are denying the state's ability to do what the Church says it may and must do.

As Homan put it, achieving a full draw-down depends on ending "the illegal and threatening activities" that have endangered federal officers in Minneapolis.

We should let him do his job.

And let the Church, in turn, clarify hers.

Go forward bravely,

Kelsey Reinhardt
President & CEO

CatholicVote

News Reporter

Thursday, 5 February 2026

Bringing calm to Minneapolis

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