Trump Signals Retreat on ICE Crackdown After Fatal Shootings

U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota marks a rare tactical adjustment in his administration’s immigration enforcement campaign, prompted by the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and the earlier death of Renee Good.

Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday about the killings, Trump said, “Bottom line, it was terrible. Both were terrible,” after Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a veterans’ hospital, was killed during a weekend stop by border agents. Renee Good had been fatally shot in early January, making Pretti the second U.S. citizen to die in encounters with federal immigration officers in the state this month.

Pretti’s killing triggered protests across Minnesota and criticism from lawmakers in both parties. Trump called the incident “a very unfortunate incident,” while adding, “He shouldn’t have been carrying a gun.”

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “wasn’t there to peacefully protest, he was there to perpetuate violence,” accusing him of “domestic terrorism.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said agents fired in self-defense after Pretti resisted efforts to disarm him. Local officials and eyewitnesses disputed that account, saying Pretti held a phone, not a weapon, and authorities later confirmed the firearm was legally registered and had been removed before he was shot.

A preliminary Customs and Border Protection report, seen by CBS News, states that two agents fired their weapons and does not say Pretti was reaching for his gun, complicating DHS’s initial narrative.

Command Changes and Crowd Control

On Monday, DHS pulled Minnesota mission leader Gregory Bovino and deployed White House border tsar Tom Homan to take over operations. Homan said on social media he met with Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and local law enforcement. Trump defended the broader operation, saying agents had removed “thousands of hardened criminals,” arguing Minnesota now had “good crime numbers,” before reiterating that the administration would “de-escalate.”

Federal Immunity for ICE Officers

Stephen Miller, a senior White House aide overseeing deportation policy, told CNN that DHS had been instructed to use extra personnel for fugitive operations and to create “a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.” He added, “We are evaluating why the [US Customs and Border Patrol] team may not have been following that protocol.” The episode has intensified scrutiny of enforcement language and tactics.

Back in October 2025, Miller also said he told ICE officers that they had “federal immunity” in the conduct of their duties, and warned that anyone attempting to obstruct them, including state officials, “would be committing a felony”, a comment linked to tensions with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker over local accountability measures for ICE actions.

“I don’t Sleep Well at Night”

Tom Homan’s arrival has also drawn scrutiny because of his hardline views on immigration enforcement. In February 2025, Trump’s border czar was quoted accusing Democratic states as “criminal sanctuaries”.

I don’t sleep well at night because I’m afraid of the people that are walking the streets because sanctuary cities will protect them. Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals.

White House Boarder Czar Tom Homan

His rhetoric has been echoed on the ground: on Jan. 25, an ICE agent in Maine called a legal observer a “domestic terrorist” for recording him and said she would be added to a “nice little database,” reinforcing concerns among civil liberties groups about aggressive tactics and escalation risks.

Pressure From Streets and States

State and city leaders have urged Washington to withdraw roughly 3,000 immigration agents and officers from Minnesota. Republican figures have also demanded accountability. Vermont Governor Phil Scott and Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska called for investigations, with Ricketts writing that he expected “a prioritized, transparent investigation into this incident,” even as he reaffirmed support for funding ICE.

At a rally in Iowa on Tuesday night, Trump avoided detailed discussion of Minnesota, instead citing a December Harvard Harris poll claiming 80 percent public support for deporting undocumented immigrants who committed crimes.

Yet the combination of two fatalities within weeks, conflicting official accounts, judicial intervention, and the reassignment of senior personnel underscores mounting constraints on the administration’s enforcement posture in politically sensitive jurisdictions.