In a surprising turn, President Donald Trump has decided to dial back federal immigration operations in Minnesota following the tragic sh**ting of ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti by a Border Patrol agent.
The move comes after a direct call between Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, where they hashed out ways to ease the escalating conflicts in the state. Walz’s office put out a statement detailing the agreement, saying Trump committed to letting local authorities take the lead on investigating Pretti’s death.
The statement reads: “The President agreed that he would talk to his Department of Homeland Security about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case.
“The President also agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals.”
This comes right on the heels of Trump publicly blasting the situation last night, pinning Pretti’s death on what he called ‘Democrat-ensued chaos.’ He’s been vocal about accusing Walz of letting violent crowds target ICE agents and even floated the idea of sending in troops under the Insurrection Act.
Behind closed doors, though, Trump’s reportedly been second-guessing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. On Monday, he shook things up by putting Tom Homan in charge of the ICE efforts in Minnesota instead.
Trump announced it himself on Truth Social: ‘I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.’
Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse who cared for veterans at the Minneapolis VA hospital, was shot while recording federal officers on a street in south Minneapolis. The agents were there to nab Jose Huerta-Chuma, an undocumented immigrant with a rap sheet that includes domestic assault causing intentional bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and driving without a license.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened lately. Pretti’s death is the second fatal clash between federal immigration folks and locals in the city this month. Back on January 7, Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in a separate raid.
