The Trump administration said it was drawing down the number of immigration enforcement officers deployed in Minnesota, following weeks of unrest in Minneapolis where 2 people have been killed in altercations with US immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents.

Tom Homan, whose official title is White House "border czar," told reporters that 700 out of around 3,000 federal officers deployed around the upper Midwest state will be withdrawn "immediately."

Homan said that state and local officials have agreed to cooperate with ICE by handing in arrested immigrants, which he called an "increase in unprecedented collaboration" that would need fewer "public safety officers to do this work" in a "safer environment."

The border czar added that officers would be "taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails" instead of detaining them on the streets. Homan had suggested the idea last week in exchange for drawing down ICE forces in Minnesota.

ICE under fire

ICE raids on neighborhoods in Minneapolis, which are said to target illegal immigrants marked for deportation, have drawn massive public outcry, with residents taking to the streets to confront federal agents.

Last month, the unrest reached a boiling point after an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good while she was in her car. Weeks later, another protester, intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, also 37, was beaten and shot multiple times by federal agents as he attempted to assist a woman who was being pushed to the ground during a protest.

The White House and Trump's Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem's depicted both victims as "terrorists" who threatened ICE officers, despite extensive video evidence to the contrary.

That, along with the government's false accounts of what took place, drew widespread condemnation and put pressure on the administration.

After the deaths of the two US citizens at the hands of federal agents, ICE training and recruitment came under scrutiny. To increase numbers, new ICE agents only undergo an 8-week (47-day) training program, which is a fraction of what law enforcement officers receive. For comparison, Minneapolis police recruits undergo 10 to 11 months of training. ICE recruitment websites have also been using far-right, white nationalist slogans to incite people to join.

Following the outcry, Trump withdrew the combative Customs and Border Protection commander Gregory Bovino and replaced him with Homan, who then said he would draw down the ICE operations if local officials met certain conditions.

Border czar says Minnesota operations were 'effective'

Homan told reporters Wednesday he thinks the operation in Minnesota has been a success.

"I just listed a bunch of people we took off the streets of the Twin Cities [Minneapolis-St.Paul], so I think it's very effective as far as public safety goes," Homan said

"Was it a perfect operation? No. We created one unified chain of command to make sure everybody is on the same page. And make sure we follow the rules. I don't think anybody, purposely, didn't do something they should have done," he said.

However, the drawdown will still leave around 2,000 ICE officers in Minnesota, and Homan has said he will not be leaving Minneapolis "until we get it all done."

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez