Trump indicates that immigration policy may require a more measured and compassionate approach
The killing of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last month triggered nationwide outrage across the United States.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that a “softer approach” to immigration might be necessary, even as his administration announced that 700 federal officers would be withdrawn from Minnesota, but that large-scale deportations would not stop.
The fatal shooting of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last month sparked widespread outrage across the United States and led to calls for an end to immigration raids in the Midwestern city, but the Trump administration is not backing down.
In an interview with NBC’s “Nightly News,” when asked what he had learned from the events in Minneapolis, Trump said, “I learned that maybe we have to take a little bit of a softer approach. But you still have to be tough.”
Trump’s border chief, Tom Homan, had earlier announced the withdrawal of 700 federal officers from Minnesota but said the controversial deployment would continue, with approximately 2,000 agents remaining even after the withdrawal.
And later, in an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News, he vowed that the removal of undocumented immigrants would continue.
Homan said, “Mass deportations are happening; they are coming. We’re already breaking records, and we’re not going to stop.”
A step in the right direction
The mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota—both Democrats—called the announcement to withdraw troops from the city “a step in the right direction” but urged the federal government to quickly scale back its immigration operations in the state.
Homan was sent to Minneapolis to oversee the operation amid growing anger over deadly shootings in the city and misleading statements from the government. He said the cuts would take effect immediately. He cited increased cooperation with local authorities.
Homan said that now “most officers are taking criminals into custody directly from jail” rather than apprehending them on the streets—a process that requires fewer personnel.
He said that before the high-profile operation began in Minnesota, the state had only 150 federal immigration officers.
Mass deportations
Homan also emphasized that he would remain in Minneapolis—a major point of contention in Trump’s overall immigration policy—”until we get this all done.”
“President Trump fully intends to carry out mass deportations during this administration, and immigration enforcement actions will continue every day across the country,” Homan said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey welcomed the reduction in federal personnel but said on X that the US immigration operation in Minneapolis—dubbed Metro Surge—must be ended “immediately.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz echoed this sentiment, calling for a “rapid and further reduction of forces” and a state government investigation into the killings of the two Minneapolis residents.
Federal agents shot and killed an unarmed woman, 37-year-old Renee Good, as she attempted to flee an encounter with ICE agents last month.
Two weeks later, immigration officers beat and shot and killed Alex Pretty, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, while he was lying on the ground. Both victims were American citizens.
In the NBC interview, while Trump said neither victim was an “angel,” he expressed distress over their deaths.
“I’m not happy with what happened there. It shouldn’t have happened… It was a very sad event for me, both events,” he said.
At the same time, Trump offered his support to the ICE agents.
“I’m always going to be with law enforcement, ICE, and our great people of the police; we have to back them. If we don’t back them, we don’t have a country,” the president said.
The killings drew international attention and condemnation of the government’s false statements, fueling public concern about the conduct of federal immigration operations. Following the uproar over the shooting, which brought thousands of protesters into the streets, Trump removed the hardline Customs and Border Protection commander Gregory Bovino and replaced him with the more policy-oriented Homan, who then promised to shut down the operation under certain conditions.
