Top Minnesota officials say some federal agents will leave Minneapolis starting Tuesday, while the White House dispatches a new official to take over immigration enforcement operations in the state as the face of the administration’s militarized enforcement operation departs.
Minnesotans are hopeful that after the fatal shootings by federal agents of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Macklin Good and Alex Pretti, the Trump administration’s immigration policy in the state may begin to ease.
"I spoke with President Trump today and appreciated the conversation," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in a statement on Jan. 26. "I expressed how much Minneapolis has benefited from our immigrant communities and was clear that my main ask is that Operation Metro Surge needs to end. The president agreed the present situation can’t continue."
The major shift in tone comes amid the fallout over Pretti’s fatal shooting. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Homeland Security officials labeled the 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse a "domestic terrorist." Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino said his agents were "victims." Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the gun Pretti was carrying signaled he intended to "kill law enforcement."
