President Trump sends top border official to Minneapolis and adopts conciliatory language following public outrage over two fatal shootings by ICE agents.
MINNEAPOLIS: President Donald Trump dispatched his top border security official to the city on Monday and adopted a conciliatory tone to counter nationwide anger over a second fatal shooting of a US citizen protesting immigration raids.
The White House moved to contain the political fallout as video of the latest incident spread online, sparking street protests and criticism from former presidents and some Republicans.
Trump announced that border security chief Tom Homan would now report directly to him, signalling recognition of the political damage from the aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown.
In a notable shift, Trump described a “very good” conversation with Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz, whom he had frequently accused of corruption.
The president also spoke with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said Trump agreed “the present situation can’t continue.”
Frey stated that “some federal agents” would begin leaving the city on Tuesday, though he provided no details.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed.”
She expressed sorrow for the death of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse shot at point-blank range by immigration officers during a protest on Saturday.
Senior Trump officials had previously labelled Pretti a “domestic terrorist.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Sunday accused the administration of promoting a “flat-out insane” narrative.
US media reported that controversial Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino was leaving Minneapolis, indicating further recalibration.
However, the administration showed no sign of abandoning its broader policy of deploying heavily armed ICE agents into Democratic-led cities to pursue immigration violators.
Leavitt said “hundreds of thousands” of “the worst illegal aliens” remained for deportation.
The political backlash intensified as daily videos showed violent masked agents and reports emerged of targets being selected on flimsy evidence.
Minneapolis has become the epicentre of the turmoil, with large protests held despite freezing temperatures.
The city saw rallies after ICE agents killed protester Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, on January 7.
Good, like Pretti, was a US citizen shot at close range.
Further protests erupted in Minneapolis, New York and other major cities over the weekend.
A federal judge in Minneapolis heard arguments Monday on whether the federal agent deployment violates Minnesota’s sovereignty.
A separate hearing considered a request to force federal officials to preserve evidence in Pretti’s killing, with a ruling expected soon.
Congressional Democrats are threatening to block government funding unless immigration enforcement agencies are reformed.
Republican pushback grew on Monday as several party figures broke ranks to express concern.
House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer suggested federal agents should withdraw from Minneapolis, a rare intervention from a Trump loyalist.
Republican Chris Madel withdrew from Minnesota’s governor race, stating he could not remain in a party inflicting “retribution on the citizens of our state.”
Even Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a staunch Trump ally, called for federal authorities “to recalibrate.”
