Border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday that federal immigration authorities have made "a lot of progress" in recent days in Minnesota, signaling a possible shift in enforcement tactics as tensions remain high following deadly shootings and protests tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

Speaking at a press conference early Thursday at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Homan said he has been in the city since Monday overseeing intensified immigration operations that began last month.

"We've made a lot of progress in the last few days," Homan said, describing efforts to "remove threats" from the community. He added that he plans to remain in Minnesota until "the problem's gone."

Homan said he traveled to Minneapolis "to regain law and order in the city beloved by me and work together to remove threats from the community," and emphasized that his visit was focused on negotiation rather than public relations.

"I didn't come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines," Homan said. "I came here to seek solutions, and that's what we're going to do."

Homan also addressed Republican pushback to engaging with Democratic leaders in Minneapolis and Minnesota, but defended those discussions.

"Bottom line is, you can't fix problems if you don't have discussions," he said - noting that he met with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who told him that county jails may notify ICE of release dates for criminals deemed public safety risks. Homan said such cooperation would allow ICE to take those individuals into custody more safely.

"Give us access to illegal alien public safety threats," Homan said. "It's common sense. It's safer for the community. It's safer for the agent."

Homan also said that the administration agreed that ICE "was a legitimate law enforcement agency that has a duty to enforce the laws enacted by Congress that keep this community safe," but stressed that he disagreed with state and local officials who want to be directly involved in enforcement.

"I didn't ask them to be immigration officers," he said. "I'm asking them to be cops working with cops to help us take criminal aliens off the street."

He argued that jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities "are sanctuaries for criminals." 

Homan said he has held meetings with federal law enforcement managers, including ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers, as well as state and local officials, to convey "the president's expectations with regard to federal immigration enforcement efforts." He also made it clear that ICE officers would continue conducting "targeted enforcement operations."