Trump to 'deescalate' immigration operations in Minnesota. Live updates.
Amid outrage over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by immigration agents, President Trump reshuffled leadership in Minnesota and distanced himself from his top officials' comments about the shooting.
MINNEAPOLIS − President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he will "deescalate" immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota as his administration faces intense backlash over the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old killed by a Border Patrol agent over the weekend.
The president’s comments made on Fox News Tuesday afternoon are the latest in his attempts to distance himself from the incidents that have rocked Minnesota lately, including the fatal shooting of the intensive care unit nurse and the controversial response of top administration officials who labeled Pretti a "domestic terrorist."
"We’re going to deescalate a little bit, " said Trump in the interview, noting his move to replace the leader of immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota with border czar Tom Homan. The president also described Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who Homan is replacing, as "pretty out there."
The shake-up in Minnesota comes as the Trump grapples with outrage over the shooting and his administration's response to it.Among first steps in changing operations in Minnesota, Homan on Tuesday met with Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz. The former candidate for vice president said he reiterated his goals to reduce the number of federal agents in the state and see independent investigations into the killings of Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.
Developments:
∎ An internal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security, based on body-worn camera footage of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, states that two officers began firing after an agent yelled "he’s got a gun" multiple times.
∎ Minnesota's chief federal judge summoned the acting head of ICE, Todd Lyons, to court and threatened to hold him in contempt, alleging the administration has failed to comply with "dozens" of court orders, including those directing authorities to hold hearings for detained immigrants.
∎ An impeachment resolution against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem now has nearly 150 cosponsors and Republicans are increasingly calling for investigations and more guardrails on immigration agents.
∎ A shooting involving Border Patrol personnel on Tuesday left one person in critical condition in Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border, local officials said.
Top Trump aide walks back comments on Pretti
A top Trump administration official is walking back early Department of Homeland Security comments about Alex Pretti that had declared the fatally shot 37-year-old "wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement," claims repeated by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.
Stephen Miller, one of the president’s closest aides who is said to have advised him on everything from how to take Greenland to being the architect of Trump’s mass deportations campaign, said in a statement that the decision to say Pretti intended to kill immigration authorities was "based on reports from CBP on the ground," referring to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Miller notably called Pretti a "would-be assassin," a claim echoed by Vice President JD Vance. The policy advisor’s statement shared with USA TODAY does not refer to his own comment.
The White House distanced itself from the DHS comment earlier with the president saying he didn’t think Pretti was an assassin and declining to call him a "domestic terrorist."
— Contributing by Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY White House correspondent
Rep. Ilhan Omar sprayed with substance at Minneapolis town hall
A man charged at U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, during a town hall in Minneapolis late Tuesday, spraying the congresswoman with an unknown substance.
The man who sprayed the substance rushed the U.S. congresswoman as she called for ICE to be abolished and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be impeached. The man spoke to Omar as he sprayed the material at her torso; it’s unclear what he said or what he sprayed.
Read more here.
ICE agents turned away at Ecuador consulate in Minneapolis, ministry says
Elsewhere in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tried to enter the Ecuadorian consulate at 11 a.m., the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on Tuesday evening.
The ministry posted a statement in Spanish on X saying Consulate officials immediately impeded the agents from entering the consulate’s premises, protecting Ecuadorian nationals who were inside the building.
The Consulate activated its emergency protocols, the ministry stated. And then immediately sent "a note of protest" to the United States Embassy in Ecuador to try to prevent acts of this nature from happening at any other Ecuadorian consul offices in the U.S., the country's foreign ministry said.
— Dinah Voyles Pulver and Eduardo Cuevas
Border Patrol report on Pretti shooting finds two officers fired
A Department of Homeland Security investigation of the shooting found two agency law enforcement personnel fired their guns during the agency’s deadly shooting of Alex Pretti, according to a copy of the internal investigation obtained by USA TODAY.
The investigation performed by Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility notes that the agency members began firing after an agent yelled "he’s got a gun" multiple times. The report does not say the bullets from both officers hit Pretti.
Agency personnel began firing about five seconds after the agent yelled about Pretti’s gun, the report notes.
Border Protection’s preliminary findings were based on body-worn camera footage and agency documentation, according to the report.
Read the report here.
'I don't like that he had a gun': President doubles down
Trump has doubled down on comments that Pretti should not have been carrying a gun at a protest, even though he had a license to carry the firearm. The president’s stance has drawn the ire of some Republicans and gun right's groups.
"He certainly shouldn't have been carrying a gun. I don't like that he had a gun," Trump told reporters on Tuesday, calling the shooting a "very unfortunate incident."
Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said hours after the fatal shooting that Pretti intended to "massacre" and "kill law enforcement." Top Trump aid Stephen Miller called him an "assassin" in a statement reshared by Vice President JD Vance.
Videos show Pretti holding his phone when he approached federal agents, not brandishing or reaching for his firearm. Footage also indicates that an agent confiscated Pretti's gun seconds before he was shot and killed
Bovino 'pretty out there,' Trump says
While denying that his shakeup of the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota is a “pullback,” Trump said that Gregory Bovino, who he replaced as leader of the operation, is a “pretty out there kind of a guy.”
“And in some cases it’s good,” Trump said on Fox News. “Maybe it wasn’t good here.”
Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to take over immigration enforcement in Minnesota, which has been overseen by Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Bovino’s aggressive tactics have drawn intense criticism after federal gents shot and killed two people this month.
Of Bovino’s replacement, Trump said: “I don’t think it’s a pullback. It’s a little bit of a change.”
'We’re going to deescalate,' Trump says of Minnesota
President Donald Trump said on Fox News that he’s trying “deescalate” what’s happening in Minnesota amid intense backlash to immigration enforcement actions there following the shooting deaths of two individuals by federal agents.
“We’re going to deescalate a little bit,” Trump said after noting that he changed the leadership of ICE operations in Minnesota, sending in his border czar Tom Homan to oversee the operation.
Trump noted that Homan is meeting with local Democratic leaders to figure out next steps.
Trump declines to call Alex Pretti a ‘domestic terrorist’
Trump declined to call Alex Pretti a domestic terrorist, a label White House official Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem applied to the 37-year-old nurse who was shot and killed by federal authorities in Minneapolis.
"Well, I haven't heard that, but certainly he shouldn't have been carrying a gun,” Trump said in Iowa when asked by a reporter whether he agrees with Miller and Noem’s initial characterization that Pretti was an “assassin” and “domestic terrorist.”
Trump was responding to questions at a restaurant he visited to meet supporters before giving a speech on the economy.
“Bottom line, everybody in this room, we view that as a very unfortunate incident. OK? Everyone, unless you're a stupid person,” Trump said of Pretty’s fatal shooting. “Very, very unfortunate incident. I don't like that he had a gun. I don't like that he had two fully loaded magazines. That's a lot of bad stuff. Despite that, I say that's very unfortunate."
Trump downplays leadership shakeup in Minnesota
Trump suggested that it’s not unusual for him to “shake up” his leadership team after he sent border czar Tom Homan oversee immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.
“I do that all the time. I shake up teams,” Trump told reporters after visiting with customers at the Machine Shed in Urbandale Jan. 27 before a speech. “Everybody here, there’s are a lot of owners of farmers and places and you shake up your team - if they can’t do the crops fast enough. Look, we have an incredible team.”
Trump continued to express confidence in Noem Jan. 27, telling reporters he isn’t asking her to resign, even as he made it clear that Homan is now running the show in Minneapolis and reports “directly to me.”
Trump had considerable turnover during his first administration, but there has been more stability in his leadership team since he won reelection.
– Zac Anderson and Francesca Chambers
Frey tells Homan he wants an end to ICE, Border Patrol operation
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he and police chief Brian O'Hara had a "productive conversation" with Tom Homan about the immigration enforcement in the city.
"I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to end as quickly as possible," Frey said on X. "Public safety works best when it's built on community trust, not tactics that create fear or division."
Frey said he spoke with Homan about the "serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis" and "also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws."
"We will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe," Frey said. "City leaders will continue to stay in conversation with Mr. Homan and his team."
ICE involved in security for Winter Olympics in Italy
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel who are part of Homeland Security Investigations will have a small security support role for the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, according to a person familiar with the matter.
ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement in foreign countries, however, and will not run immigration enforcement operations at the Games, the source said.
"As in previous Olympic events, multiple federal agencies are supporting the Diplomatic Security Service, including Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s investigative component," a State Department spokesperson told USA TODAY.
– Steve Gardner and Kim Hjelmgaard
ICE, Border Patrol heads to face Congress on Feb. 10
The heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection will face lawmakers on the House Committee on Homeland Security in February.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-New York, the chairman of the panel, said Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott will testify on Feb. 10 at 10 a.m.
“Transparency and communication are needed to turn the temperature down," Garbarino said in a statement. "Thank you to Secretary Noem and the Department of Homeland Security for making these witnesses available, and I look forward to receiving their testimony.”
Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will also be a witness.
– Zachary Schermele
Person injured in shooting involving Border Patrol in Arizona: officials
A person suffered critical injuries after being shot during an incident involving the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona on Tuesday morning.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office, in a late morning news release, said it responded to a shooting involving Border Patrol in Arivaca, an unincorporated community the southern part of the state, about 10 miles north of the Mexican border.
“We are working in coordination with the FBI Phoenix-Tuscon Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection” the sheriff's office posted on social media.
– Natalie Neysa Alund
Trump says Pretti was not an 'assassin'
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he does not believe Alex Pretti was an "assassin," distancing himself from comments a senior official made in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting.
"No, I don't think so," Trump told reporters after being asked if he thought Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was acting like "an assassin" before he was killed by Border Patrol agents.
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, called Pretti a “would-be assassin” and a “domestic terrorist” shortly after the fatal shooting. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also called Pretti a "domestic terrorist." No federal officials have provided evidence suggesting Pretti acted violently toward federal agents in Minneapolis.
Trump says Kristi Noem will not be stepping down
President Donald Trump said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will not be leaving her position following his shuffling of federal presence in Minnesota.
“No,” Trump said when asked by a reporter whether she will step down as he departed the White House to leave for Iowa, where he plans to give remarks on the economy.
Noem has been under increasing scrutiny following Saturday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal authorities in Minneapolis. Trump on Monday assigned Tom Homan, the White House border czar, to lead immigration law enforcement operations in Minnesota. Noem and Gregory Bovino, his controversial Border Patrol Commander, previously led those efforts.
Trump says he wants 'honest investigation' into Pretti's killing
Trump on Tuesday referred to the ongoing investigation into Alex Pretti’s death when asked whether the shooting was justified.
“We're doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation," he told reporters. "I'm going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.”
Joining Trump on Marine One was Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, who called Pretti a “would-be assassin” and a “domestic terrorist” shortly after the fatal shooting. The White House on Monday sought to distance itself from those comments, declining to draw conclusions publicly until the investigation concludes.
“I’m looking at the whole situation,” Trump said. "I love everybody. I love all of our people. I love his family. And it's a very sad situation."
‘You can’t have guns,’ Trump says of Alex Pretti shooting
Trump raised concerns about Alex Pretti being armed, even as he said he would reserve judgement on his fatal shooting until investigations conclude.
“You can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You can’t do that. It's just a very unfortunate thing,” Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One.
Although a gun was found on Pretti, he did not brandish the weapon as federal authorities confronted him. Videos recorded by bystanders showed Pretti was disarmed before an agent open fire on him. He legally obtained the gun.
Trump and Republicans have been strong advocates of Second Amendment rights including the right to bear arms in public settings.
Judge says ICE has flouted dozens of court orders
Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, in his order summoning ICE's acting director Todd Lyons, said ICE has repeatedly flouted court orders directing authorities to hold hearings for immigrants detained in Minnesota.
These violations, Schiltz said, have extended immigrants' detentions or led them to be flown to other states where they're released and "told to figure out a way to get home."
"The court’s patience is at an end," the order said, adding: "The court acknowledges that ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step, but the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed."
The Department of Homeland Security, the agency that oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to the judge's accusations or the order.
Walz meets with Homan, reiterates goal to reduce federal presence
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz met with White House border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday and urged for an independent investigation into the shootings in Minneapolis and a “significant” reduction of federal agents in the state, the governor’s office said in a statement.
“The Governor and Homan agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue and will continue working toward those goals, which the President also agreed to yesterday,” the statement said. “The Governor tasked the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as the primary liaison to Homan to ensure these goals are met.”
The meeting came after Walz spoke with President Donald Trump on Monday, a call both men described in a positive manner. Homan was sent to take over immigration operation in Minnesota as outrage grew, even among Republicans, over Border Patrol and ICE’s tactics on the streets of Minneapolis.
‘We need to unify’: Melania Trump speaks out on Minneapolis
In a rare political statement, first lady Melania Trump, on Tuesday spoke out about violence in Minnesota, calling for America to "unify" amid weeks of unrest in the midwestern state's Twin Cities.
"I know my husband, the president, had a great call yesterday with the governor and the mayor, and they're working together to make it peaceful and... without riots," the first lady told Fox News after a reporter asked what her message is for America about unifying "on both sides."
"I'm against the violence, so please, if you protest, protest in peace," she added. "We need to unify."
– Natalie Neysa Alund
Protesters gather outside federal building in Minneapolis
Outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building near the Minneapolis airport, a small number of protesters on Tuesday waved signs and American flags at masked federal immigration agents driving into the security facility.
Under the watchful eye of sheriffs deputies who threatened to ticket anyone caught standing in the road, along with a small number of National Guard members, the protesters took turns screaming swears and warming up in nearby parked cars. Some snacked on free food provided by a man who fired up a generator to make hot drinks and toaster-oven pizzas.
Daniel Angier, 44, held a sign that called for agents to respect the U.S. Constitution, while another man waved aloft one that said “try not to kill anyone today."
Angier, a Minneapolis resident, said he felt moved by patriotic duty to protest because he felt the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti were preventable – and could have been him.
He said he’s skeptical Bovino’s departure will change anything, indicated the deportation machine was just too fired up now.
Republican ends Minnesota governor bid over immigration enforcement
Chris Madel, a Republican, ended his campaign for Minnesota governor after less than two months, citing frustration with the party and the way federal officials have carried out immigration operations in the state.
"I cannot support the national Republican's stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so," Madel said in a video address posted Monday. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the administration's handling of immigration enforcement.
"Operation Metro Surge has expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats," he said. "United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That's wrong."
DHS dodges qustions describing Pretti as a ‘domestic terrorist’
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia Mclaughlin on Tuesday blamed Pretti for the deadly shooting and dodged questions about whether the agency stands by its earlier statements describing the ICU nurse as a “domestic terrorist.”
In the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s death, Kristi Noem and other top DHS officials said Pretti brandished a gun and intended to “kill” and “massacre” federal agents. After videos showed he had a phone in his hand and never touched his lawfully obtained firearm, federal officials have stopped repeating those claims but have not retracted them.
Asked whether DHS stands by its initial remarks on the shooting in a Tuesday appearance on Fox News, McLaughlin did not answer directly and said, “We’ll let the investigation” play out.
McLaughlin also seemed to lay the blame with Pretti, saying, “He was armed, he got into a physical altercation with law enforcement, he was in the course of obstructing a federal law enforcement operation, which is a federal crime.”
Fetterman calls for Noem to be fired, says 'Americans have died'
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania called for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be "immediately fired."
"Americans have died," he said in a Tuesday post on X. "She is betraying DHS’s core mission and trashing your border security legacy. DO NOT make the mistake President Biden made for not firing a grossly incompetent DHS Secretary."
Fetterman joins a growing number of Democrats who want Noem out of her position atop Homeland Security, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said she "must be fired." Two thirds of the Democratic Caucus has cosponsored a House impeachment resolution targeting Noem, according to Politico.
Texas governor: White House to 'recalibrate' ICE
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a close ally of Trump, said the White House "is working on a game plan" to "recalibrate" its immigration enforcement effort amid fallout from two deadly shootings in Minneapolis and the federal government’s reaction to it.
"They, being the White House, need to recalibrate on what needs to be done to make sure that respect is going to be reinstilled," Abbott said Monday in an appearance on the conservative radio program "The Mark Davis Show."
"That's not an easy task, especially under the current circumstances, but I know that they (the White House) are working on a game plan to make sure that they are going to ... recalibrate and maybe work from a different direction to ensure that they get back to get what they wanted to do to begin with – and that is to remove people from the country," he added.
Immigrant-rights group applaud Bovino's reported exit from Minneapolis
One immigrant-rights group celebrated Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino's reported departure from Minneapolis, although it remained unclear exactly what role he would play going forward.
"It's a victory, a very small victory," said Alanah Odoms, executive director of ACLU Louisiana, which had opposed the Bovino-led "Catahoula Crunch" enforcement operation in the New Orleans area late last year. "Someone had to take the fall for this. The Republicans know they've gone too far. It's a victory but it may be a pyrrhic one because as we all know, a cruelty campaign can continue without that figurehead."
Odoms said she credits the people of Minneapolis, along with Walz and Frey, for maintaining the pressure necessary to force Trump to act.
"Today is a good day, and I don't want to understate that it is Minnesotans who have literally risked life and limb –mothers and fathers and faith leaders – to actually make this happen today," Odoms said. "This happened because of the sheer resistance of the Minnesota people and the governor and the mayor and the people who put their lives on the line."
Who is Gregory Bovino?
Bovino, the North Carolina-raised Border Patrol chief, has spearheaded the Trump administration's militarized approach to immigration enforcement, tussling with protesters and throwing chemical irritants into crowds in Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans.
Bovino often defended the approach, even calling his agents the "victims" in the fatal shooting of Pretti on Jan. 24.
He first drew the national spotlight when he led the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz crackdown on Chicago. His high-profile moments in the nation’s third-largest city included staging a raid on an apartment building using a Black Hawk helicopter; using chemical irritants on protesters in apparent violation of a judge’s order; and being ordered to appear in federal court where U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis scolded him for the tear-gassing incident.
Bovino was born in San Bernardino County, California, in 1970 and raised in North Carolina. His sister, Natalie, told British newspaper The Times of London that the young Bovino was inspired to be a part of the Border Patrol after seeing the 1982 movie "The Border" starring Jack Nicholson. Bovino joined the Border Patrol in 1996 and was named chief patrol agent of the El Centro Sector of Southern California in 2020, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
-Fernando Cervantes Jr., James Powel, Trevor Hughes
Trump taps new leader for immigration operations in Minnesota
The White House first publicly took steps to changing its approach in Minnesota by naming a new official to lead operations, border czar Tom Homan.
"He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there," Trump said of Homan in a Jan. 26 statement announcing the shake-up. "Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me."
Homan is expected to replace Border Patrol's Bovino, who has drawn controversy for his handling of the Pretti shooting.
The Associated Press, New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported on Jan. 26, citing anonymous sources, that Bovino is set to leave the Twin Cities. The Atlantic Magazine reported Monday evening that Bovino is set to return to his post at the El Centro Border Station in California.
DHS officials have strongly denied Bovino is out, saying in a statement to USA TODAY: "Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties."
Poll shows Trump's immigration approval drops to new low
American approval of the president’s immigration policy dropped to its lowest level since his return to the White House, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, amid growing backlash after federal immigration agents fatally shot two people in Minneapolis this month.
The poll, conducted nationwide Jan. 23 through Jan. 25, gathered responses before and after immigration officers on killed a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis over the weekend. Fifty-three percent of Americans polled disapprove of the president's immigration policy, while 39% approve of the job Trump is doing on immigration, down from 41% in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll this month.
Poll results show a steep drop in approval from where Trump began after his inauguration. Immigration was a brighter spot then; in February 2025, 50% approved and 41% disapproved.
Read more about the poll findings here.
- Terry Collins