Inside the Trump administration’s turn in Minnesota
Trump and Walz discuss immigration enforcement in Minneapolis
President Donald Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had a “productive” phone conversation about immigration enforcement in Minneapolis.
- The Trump administration is changing its immigration enforcement efforts after two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis.
- White House border agent Tom Homan will oversee operations in the city, replacing Border Control Commander Gregory Bovino.
- The administration is facing backlash from the public, some Republicans and gun rights advocates over the killing.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and his administration are trying a new approach to immigration enforcement after federal agents fatally shot a second American citizen on a snow-covered street in Minneapolis.
Who’s out: Gregory Bovino, the border control commander who became the face of the militarization operation in Minneapolis, whose long olive-colored military overcoat with shiny buttons drew unpleasant comparisons to an SS officer in Nazi Germany. According to news reports, Mr. Bovino will return to his old post at the Border Patrol Division in El Centro, California.
Who: Tom Homan, the White House border czar whom President Trump sent to Minneapolis to oversee immigration enforcement. Trump said Homan “knows and likes many of the people there” and is “tough but fair.” Mr. Homan was the architect of family separation policy during President Trump’s first administration and served in ICE’s Removal Operations Division under President Barack Obama.
Most of the time they blame the victim.
Alex Preti, 37, was an intensive care unit nurse who was treating sick veterans before being pinned to the ground and shot multiple times by Border Patrol agents on Saturday, January 24th. Mr. Bovino and other government officials initially claimed that Mr. Pretti brandished a handgun at police officers and labeled him a “domestic terrorist.” But after several videos contradicted that claim, the administration sought to shift the blame for what Vice President J.D. Vance described as “orchestrated chaos” on the streets to the Minnesota Democratic Party.
Mainly: Cooperation.
President Trump said on Monday, January 26, that he had a “very good” phone conversation with Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, also a Democrat. “In fact, it seemed like we were on a similar wavelength,” President Trump said after his phone conversation with Walz. “A lot of progress is being made!” he announced after a conversation with Frey.
The best bet is damage control.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt has sought to distance Trump from administration officials’ inflammatory comments about Preti. “I have never heard the president characterize Ms. Preti in that way,” she told reporters at a White House briefing.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, President Trump declined to say whether he thought the investigators involved in the shooting acted appropriately. He said the administration is “considering everything and will make a decision.”
Preti’s death marks the second time in three weeks that an American citizen has been killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Renee Nicole Good, 37, a poet and mother of three, was fatally shot and fatally shot by U.S. Customs and Immigration Service agent Jonathan Ross on January 7th. Video of the shooting shows multiple agents approaching Good’s SUV, which was stopped in the middle of a one-way street in the area where ICE agents were conducting the operation. In the video, investigators can be seen telling Good to get out of the car and then firing multiple shots through the window as Ross tries to move the car away from them.
The Trump administration has argued that Ross fired in self-defense and accused Good of intentionally trying to run him over.
Massive protests erupted across Minneapolis in the wake of Good’s shooting. Preti’s killing three weeks later intensified public outrage and led to calls from state and local officials for the Trump administration to end immigration operations in Minnesota.
Even some Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about Preti’s murder.
“The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) wrote to X hours after the shooting. “The credibility of ICE and DHS is at stake.”
Cassidy and Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have both called for an independent investigation into the shooting.
Gun rights groups such as the National Rifle Association have also criticized the Trump administration for criticizing Preti’s carry-in and suggesting that it is dangerous for legal gun owners to protest while carrying legally acquired firearms.
Although Preti had a legal permit to carry a gun, a video taken by a witness contradicts the government’s claim that Preti pointed the gun at the employee. One video appears to show a Border Patrol agent pulling a handgun from Preeti’s waistband as she is pinned to the ground by other agents. The shot that killed him was fired after he was disarmed.
“The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms during protests, and this right must not be infringed by the federal government,” advocacy group Gun Owners for America said in a statement.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote of X, “If you don’t understand that carrying a firearm is not a death penalty, but a God-given right guaranteed by the Constitution, you have no need to be involved in law enforcement or government.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s chief federal judge ordered the acting ICE director to appear in court, accusing the administration of repeatedly failing to hold bail hearings for detained immigrants despite judicial orders.
The order, filed Monday, Jan. 26, orders Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear in court on Friday to state why he should not be held in contempt of court.
Still no answer: Is Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has come under increased scrutiny and faced calls for impeachment since the Pretty and Goode shootings, at risk of losing her job?
For now, the answer appears to be no. President Trump told reporters on Tuesday, Jan. 27, that he still has confidence in her even after her removal from the federal post in Minnesota and would not ask her to resign.
“I think she’s doing a very good job,” he said.
President Trump said his administration is conducting an “extensive investigation” into the Preeti shooting and will be monitoring it.
“I hope for a very honorable and honest investigation,” he said. “You’ll have to see for yourself.”
Following the events in Minneapolis, public approval ratings for President Trump’s immigration policies have fallen to an all-time low.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week showed that approval ratings for President Trump’s immigration policies have fallen to their lowest level since he returned to the White House last year. Fifty-three percent of Americans surveyed disapprove of the president’s immigration policies, while 39% approve of the president’s approach to immigration, down from 41% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month.
First lady Melania Trump becomes the latest member of the Trump team to weigh in on the events in Minneapolis as the administration shifts its stance on immigration.
The first lady called for national unity during an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday, January 27th.
“I’m against violence, so if you’re going to protest, please protest peacefully,” she said.
Contributors: Christopher Cann, Joey Garrison, Terry Collins
Michael Collins writes about the intersection of politics and culture. He is a veteran reporter who has covered the White House and Congress. Follow him on X: @mcollinsNEWS
