Trump thaws as protests erupt over second ICE killing
US President Donald Trump’s call with Minnesota’s Democratic governor may signal a de-escalation of tensions after a surge of ICE “immigration agents” fatally shot a second US citizen.
United States President Donald Trump âclaims he had a âgood callâ with â Minnesota Governor Tim Walz saying the two want to work âtogether to âimprove the situation in Minnesota, âfollowing the fatal shooting of a second US citizen in the state by immigration agents that has sparked a fierce backlash.
âIt was âa very âgood call, and we, actually, âseemed to be on a âsimilar wavelength,â Trump said in a âsocial âmedia âpost.
âCrime is way down, âbut both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!â
Trumpâs comments could indicate a de-escalation of his immigration crackdown in the state as mass protests in freezing conditions have called for the surge of heavy handed ICE agents to leave the state.
Walz and other Democratic leaders have fiercely opposed the anti-immigration surge, which they characterise as a lawless invasion that puts public safety at risk.
Trump earlier said he would dispatch White House border czar Tom Homan to work with local officials following Saturdayâs shooting of a 37-year-old nurse, Alex Pretti, by immigration agents during a confrontation with protesters in Minneapolis.
Pretti was held down by agents and shot multiple times.
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While other top administration officials have characterised Pretti as a âdomestic terrorist,â Homan has not publicly spoken about the incident.
In a statement, Trump said Homan âhas not been involvedâ in the Minnesota crackdown âbut knows and likes many of the people thereâ.
Trumpâs statements came as state officials pressed a US judge âto temporarily stop the âdeployment of 3000 immigration agents with criticisms over people being taken on the streets.
The surge of agents has spurred massive street protests in below-freezing temperatures, and fierce âcondemnations by the stateâs Democratic leaders.
Sixty of the stateâs largest businesses, including Target, 3M, UnitedHealth and US Bancorp, called for an immediate de-escalation of tensions between the state and the presidentâs administration on Sunday.
A leading Republican candidate for governor, Chris Madel, dropped his bid on Monday, saying the crackdown had gone too far and had made the race unwinnable for a Republican.
âI cannot support the national Republicansâ stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so,â he said in a video statement.
Homeland âSecurity âDepartment officials have described the incident as an attack by Pretti, saying agents fired in self-defence âafter he approached them with a handgun.
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But video from the scene, verified by Reuters, appears to contradict that account.
âThe footage shows Pretti holding a phone â not a gun â as agents wrestle him to the ground.
It also shows officers removing a firearm stored near Prettiâs waistband after he was subdued, moments before they fatally shot him.
Pretti was a licensed gun owner.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that his administration is âreviewing everythingâ about the incident and said immigration officials would eventually withdraw.
Recent Reuters polling indicates that a significant slice of Trumpâs Republican backers â 39 per cent â are wary of the heavy-handed approach, saying harm should be minimised even if this means fewer immigration-related arrests.
American approval of US President Donald Trumpâs immigration policy fell to its lowest level âsince his return to the White House in a new âReuters/Ipsos poll, with a majority of Americans saying his crackdown on immigration has â gone too far.
The poll, conducted nationwide between Friday and Sunday, gathered responses before and after immigration officers on Saturday killed a second US citizen in Minneapolis during confrontations with protesters over Trumpâs deployment of immigration âagents to âcities across the US.
Just 39 per cent of Americans approve of âthe job Trump is doing on immigration, down from 41 per cent earlier this month, while 53 per cent disapprove, the poll found.
Immigration was a brighter spot for Trumpâs popularity in the weeks following his January inauguration. In âFebruary, 50 per cent approved and 41 per cent disapproved.
Trumpâs âoverall approval rating sank to 38 per cent, tying the lowest level of his current term âas it dropped from 41 per cent in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll âconducted on January 12-13.
Some 58 per cent of poll respondents said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have gone âtoo farâ in their crackdown, âwhile â12 per cent said they had ânot gone far enough and 26 per cent said âthe agentsâ efforts were âabout rightâ.
About nine-in-10 Democrats said the agents had gone too far, compared to two-in-10 Republicans and six-in-10 independents.
The poll, conducted online nationwide, gathered responses from 1139 US adults and had a margin of error of âabout three percentage points.
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