US President Donald Trump has signaled a potential retreat in the administration's hardline stance on immigration enforcement in Minnesota, following two high-profile killings of US citizens by federal agents. The shift in tone comes after intense backlash over the administration's response to the death of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents over the weekend in Minneapolis.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump acknowledged that the shooting was "very unfortunate" and stated that he did not believe Pretti was acting as an "assassin". The characterization had been previously used by senior aide Stephen Miller, but Trump distanced himself from it. Trump also emphasized that while citizens have the right to carry firearms under the Second Amendment, he believes protesters should not bring guns into confrontations with federal agents.
The administration has taken steps to ease tensions in Minneapolis, dispatching border enforcement official Tom Homan to oversee operations and reassigning Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. However, local officials continue to urge federal authorities to reduce the number of immigration agents in the state and work more closely with local law enforcement.
Critics of the administration's policies have welcomed Trump's comments as a potential sign that the White House is willing to de-escalate its hardline stance on immigration enforcement. "As long as ICE and CBP continue to inflict unchecked violence and evade responsibility for the harm they cause, immigrant survivors—and our communities as a whole—cannot truly be safe," said Casey Carter Swegman, Director of Public Policy at the Tahirih Justice Center.
The investigation into Pretti's death will remain ongoing.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump acknowledged that the shooting was "very unfortunate" and stated that he did not believe Pretti was acting as an "assassin". The characterization had been previously used by senior aide Stephen Miller, but Trump distanced himself from it. Trump also emphasized that while citizens have the right to carry firearms under the Second Amendment, he believes protesters should not bring guns into confrontations with federal agents.
The administration has taken steps to ease tensions in Minneapolis, dispatching border enforcement official Tom Homan to oversee operations and reassigning Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. However, local officials continue to urge federal authorities to reduce the number of immigration agents in the state and work more closely with local law enforcement.
Critics of the administration's policies have welcomed Trump's comments as a potential sign that the White House is willing to de-escalate its hardline stance on immigration enforcement. "As long as ICE and CBP continue to inflict unchecked violence and evade responsibility for the harm they cause, immigrant survivors—and our communities as a whole—cannot truly be safe," said Casey Carter Swegman, Director of Public Policy at the Tahirih Justice Center.
The investigation into Pretti's death will remain ongoing.
... US President Trump suddenly develops a conscience and is all about de-escalation? 
I mean, who needs villains to be evil when you can just make them slightly less evil? The fact that he's distancing himself from the "assassin" label is like him saying "oh wait, I was wrong, I'm not a superhero" 
. But for real though, this could be a good sign and if the White House is willing to listen to local officials, it might just lead to some positive changes... but let's not get too optimistic here 
after all, we've seen some wild stuff in the past few years 
. I mean, come on, a "very unfortunate" incident is not exactly a concession. And what's with the emphasis on protesters bringing guns to confront agents? That's like saying, "Hey, if you want to be shot by a cop, go ahead and bring your own firearm." It just doesn't add up.
she was such a young n awesome nurse lol idk wht's goin on w/ those border patrol agents tho... it just dont add up 4 them 2 kill some1 who didnt even do anything rite? & now trump's talkin bout de-escalatin things? thats a good sign, i guess 
idk if its 2 late but hopefully they'll get sumthin rite soon bc this kinda thing can't just keep happenin n 2 ppl w/o consequences
just had to chime in about this one... gotta say, i'm loving the vibes from trump's recent interview 
. it's a huge step towards changing the narrative around ICE and CBP's actions 
. i mean, 37 years old ICU nurse gets killed by cops in broad daylight? that's just plain unacceptable 
. i'm glad local officials are still pushing for change though 
. hope we see some real reforms soon 
anyway, it was pretty wild to see him distance himself from that assassin comment earlier today - like, who uses that term in the first place? and now hes talking about protesters bringing guns to confront federal agents...i mean, i get where he's coming from but isnt that just gonna encourage more people to arm themselves against each other? seems like a recipe for disaster to me 
Alex Pretti was just trying to do her job and help people, you know? It's crazy that she had to lose her life over it. I'm all for folks having the right to carry guns, but come on, can't they see how this is gonna escalate things? 
Now, let's hope the White House actually starts listening to local officials and works with law enforcement instead of just making empty promises 
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... can't even process what happened to that ICU nurse Alex Pretti 
. And for them to call her an "assassin" in the first place? That's just despicable 
. But I guess Trump finally showed some humanity and acknowledged that this wasn't a justified takedown 
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. If protesters want to exercise their right to carry firearms, that's fine, but it should be in a safe and controlled environment, not during confrontations with federal agents 
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. It's time for the White House to take a step back and re-evaluate their policies 
. This is all too much, it just feels like our country is going crazy 
. I mean, come on, two high-profile killings are a pretty big deal, and it's hard to spin that into a good thing for the administration. But hey, at least he's acknowledging that it was "very unfortunate" and not framing Alex Pretti as some kind of attacker 
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. And let's not forget, the investigation is still ongoing, so we'll have to wait and see what really happens next 
. Like, if he really believed what he said about protesters bringing guns to confront agents, wouldn't that be a big issue with the 2nd Amendment crowd? 
It just feels like another PR stunt to me, trying to ease the backlash from the Alex Pretti incident. The fact remains, though, that people in this country have the right to bear arms... as long as they don't use them on innocent bystanders 
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. Can't trust these guys! 