Is the president reversing course in Minnesota?

WASHINGTON (TNND) — While the anger is still palpable on the streets of Minnesota, the temperature, it seems, has been lowered, with some noticeable changes in the works.

In an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, First Lady Melania Trump said, “I’m calling for unity. I know my husband, the President, had a great call with the Governor and the mayor. And they’re working together.”

President Donald Trump told Mayor Jacob Frey some federal agents will begin leaving the area, and pledged to Gov. Tim Walz to do things differently.

Border Czar Tom Homan was sent to Minnesota to lead the immigration crackdown there and would report directly to the president.

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt touted Homan’s decades of service and his bipartisan credentials.

“I would remind everyone in this room that it was former President Barack Hussein Obama who awarded a medal to Mr. Homan,” she said, holding up a printout of a Washington Post article on the matter.

Meanwhile, Border Patrol commander at large Gregory Bovino has departed and will no longer lead the multi-state crackdown on immigration.

His presence in Minnesota was highly criticized, both for the aggressive tactics used and for his response to the shooting death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a federal agent.

Despite multiple videos appearing to show Pretti peacefully protesting, Bovino said Saturday, following the incident,

This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.

Comments like that and others from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sparked outrage from democrats and a pivot on policy from the president.

At the White House on Tuesday, President Trump was asked, “Do you believe that Alex Pretti’s death was justified?

“Well, you know, we’re doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” Trump responded.

Still, some warn a reversal in rhetoric is only step one – pushing for systemic change on white house immigration policy as a whole.

In an interview on CNN Tuesday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said, “That will require reining in. Ice, as well as the border control folks, and it also means creating a system for accountability.”

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., has requested three of Trump’s top border officials to testify before Congress: the heads of ICE, Border Patrol, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

That hearing is scheduled for February 12.