Some U.S. federal immigration agents seem set to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday, January 27th—following mounting political pressure over the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during immigration-related operations.
The city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, said “some federal agents” would begin withdrawing, adding that he would continue pressing for the departure of all personnel involved.
He confirmed he had spoken with President Donald Trump on Monday, saying the president agreed that “the present situation can’t continue.”
Minneapolis has been gripped by unrest since January 7, when 37-year-old anti-ICE protester Renee Good was shot dead by an immigration officer after driving her vehicle towards him.
Tensions escalated further on Saturday with the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was protesting and was shot during a scuffle with federal agents.
Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, known for his hardline approach, is expected to leave the city, although the Department of Homeland Security has denied he has been relieved of his duties.
Bovino had previously described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” in comments later toned down by the White House.
Trump has since adopted a more conciliatory tone, dispatching his top border enforcer Tom Homan to oversee operations in Minnesota. While officials stressed that immigration enforcement would continue nationwide, the White House said it did not want to see further loss of life.
As the public response to official activities in Minnesota grew more heated, one Border Patrol veteran took to Substack and argued
it is important to state clearly that the anger directed at ICE and Border Patrol should not slide into a worldview where the mission itself is treated as illegitimate. As Americans we can support the intended mission of immigration enforcement, which is to uphold laws enacted by Congress, to process and manage immigration in an orderly way, and to protect public safety, while also holding the actors involved accountable when their conduct results in unnecessary death or harm.
According to Vincent ‘Rocco’ Vargas, accountability “must happen. But collapsing into total love or total hate is a failure to think.”
