Trump thaws as protests erupt over second ICE killing
US President Donald Trump’s call with Minnesota’s Democratic governor may signal a de-escalation of tensions after a surge of ICE “immigration agents” fatally shot a second US citizen.
United States President Donald Trump claims he had a “good call” with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz saying the two want to work together to improve the situation in Minnesota, following the fatal shooting of a second US citizen in the state by immigration agents that has sparked a fierce backlash.
“It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump said in a social media post.
“Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!”
Trump’s comments could indicate a de-escalation of his immigration crackdown in the state as mass protests in freezing conditions have called for the surge of heavy handed ICE agents to leave the state.
Walz and other Democratic leaders have fiercely opposed the anti-immigration surge, which they characterise as a lawless invasion that puts public safety at risk.
Trump earlier said he would dispatch White House border czar Tom Homan to work with local officials following Saturday’s shooting of a 37-year-old nurse, Alex Pretti, by immigration agents during a confrontation with protesters in Minneapolis.
Pretti was held down by agents and shot multiple times.
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While other top administration officials have characterised Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” Homan has not publicly spoken about the incident.
In a statement, Trump said Homan “has not been involved” in the Minnesota crackdown “but knows and likes many of the people there”.
Trump’s statements came as state officials pressed a US judge to temporarily stop the deployment of 3000 immigration agents with criticisms over people being taken on the streets.
The surge of agents has spurred massive street protests in below-freezing temperatures, and fierce condemnations by the state’s Democratic leaders.
Sixty of the state’s largest businesses, including Target, 3M, UnitedHealth and US Bancorp, called for an immediate de-escalation of tensions between the state and the president’s administration on Sunday.
A leading Republican candidate for governor, Chris Madel, dropped his bid on Monday, saying the crackdown had gone too far and had made the race unwinnable for a Republican.
“I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so,” he said in a video statement.
Homeland Security Department officials have described the incident as an attack by Pretti, saying agents fired in self-defence after he approached them with a handgun.
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But video from the scene, verified by Reuters, appears to contradict that account.
The footage shows Pretti holding a phone – not a gun – as agents wrestle him to the ground.
It also shows officers removing a firearm stored near Pretti’s waistband after he was subdued, moments before they fatally shot him.
Pretti was a licensed gun owner.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that his administration is “reviewing everything” about the incident and said immigration officials would eventually withdraw.
Recent Reuters polling indicates that a significant slice of Trump’s Republican backers – 39 per cent – are wary of the heavy-handed approach, saying harm should be minimised even if this means fewer immigration-related arrests.
American approval of US President Donald Trump’s immigration policy fell to its lowest level since his return to the White House in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, with a majority of Americans saying his crackdown on immigration has gone too far.
The poll, conducted nationwide between Friday and Sunday, gathered responses before and after immigration officers on Saturday killed a second US citizen in Minneapolis during confrontations with protesters over Trump’s deployment of immigration agents to cities across the US.
Just 39 per cent of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing on immigration, down from 41 per cent earlier this month, while 53 per cent disapprove, the poll found.
Immigration was a brighter spot for Trump’s popularity in the weeks following his January inauguration. In February, 50 per cent approved and 41 per cent disapproved.
Trump’s overall approval rating sank to 38 per cent, tying the lowest level of his current term as it dropped from 41 per cent in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on January 12-13.
Some 58 per cent of poll respondents said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have gone “too far” in their crackdown, while 12 per cent said they had not gone far enough and 26 per cent said the agents’ efforts were “about right”.
About nine-in-10 Democrats said the agents had gone too far, compared to two-in-10 Republicans and six-in-10 independents.
The poll, conducted online nationwide, gathered responses from 1139 US adults and had a margin of error of about three percentage points.
