President Donald Trump has admitted that his administration “can use a little bit of a softer touch” amid its immigration crackdown after two U.S. citizens were gunned down in the streets of Minneapolis by federal agents last month.
In a clip from Trump’s pre-SuperBowl interview with NBC News’ Tom Llamas released Wednesday, the president reflected on the Department of Homeland Security's sprawling immigration operation in Minnesota, which has prompted protests across the country.
When asked what he learned from Minneapolis, Trump said, “I learned that maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough. We are dealing with really hard criminals.”
While the Trump administration claims it’s going after the “worst of the worst” in Minnesota, Renee Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, were killed in the crackdown.
Good, 37, was fatally shot by Jonathan Ross, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, behind the wheel of her car on January 7.
Pretti, also 37, was in a confrontation with Border Patrol agents when he was shot and killed on January 24.
The Trump administration has framed both shootings as self-defense, but that justification has been questioned.
Federal agents in Minnesota have made thousands of arrests in recent weeks, according to DHS.
Detainees at a federal building in Minnesota have described inhumane conditions, including denial of food and medical care, according to a recent report from The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Amid the turmoil in Minnesota, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan announced earlier Wednesday 700 federal agents will be pulled from Minnesota, leaving about 2,000 officers in the state.
Homan said the “drawdown” was the result of “productive discussions” with state and local officials “about increasing coordination in a lawful way between the county jails and ICE to avoid public safety threats being released back in the community.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote on X that Homan’s announcement is a “step in the right direction, but we need a faster and larger drawdown of forces.” Walz also called for state-led investigations into the killings of Good and Pretti.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey argued that the drawdown is “not de-escalation,” citing the remaining 2,000 agents. He said the DHS operation in Minnesota “has been catastrophic for our residents and businesses. It needs to end immediately.”
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