WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump announced Monday that Border Czar Tom Homan will travel to Minneapolis as the administration defends its expanded immigration enforcement amid protests that have turned deadly and sparked an escalating political fight with Minnesota’s Democratic leadership.
Leavitt said the administration believes cooperation could reduce the need for additional federal forces on the ground. (TNND)
The move follows the fatal shooting of a protester by federal immigration agents over the weekend — the second deadly encounter involving immigration officers in Minneapolis this month. The incidents have intensified scrutiny of federal tactics and sharpened rhetoric on both sides of the immigration debate.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration does not want to see violence but blamed state and local leaders for what it describes as a hostile environment toward federal law enforcement.
“Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets,” Leavitt said Monday.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, describing the call as “very good.” Walz also characterized the conversation as “productive.” According to the White House, Trump urged Walz to turn over all undocumented immigrants held in state prisons and local jails and to direct state and local authorities to cooperate fully with federal immigration officers.
Leavitt said the administration believes cooperation could reduce the need for additional federal forces on the ground.
“If Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey implement these common-sense cooperative measures — which I will add have already been implemented in every single other state across the country — Customs and Border Protection will not be needed to support ICE on the ground in Minnesota,” she said.
The administration has accused Minnesota’s Democratic leaders of using inflammatory language that it says encouraged protests and created “dangerous and chaotic” conditions leading up to the shooting.
“This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota,” Leavitt said, accusing Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of spreading misinformation about federal agents.
The comments come after Walz compared ICE operations in Minneapolis to the rise of Nazi forces in 1930s Europe — remarks the White House has repeatedly cited as irresponsible and inflammatory.
Walz has defended his rhetoric, saying fear has spread throughout immigrant communities in the state.
“We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside,” Walz said. “Many of us grew up reading the story of Anne Frank. Somebody is going to write that story about Minnesota.”
Democrats and local officials argue the focus should instead be on what they describe as excessive force by federal agents and the administration’s defense of actions they say are indefensible. The shooting prompted Minnesota officials to mobilize the National Guard as protests intensified, and lawmakers from both parties have called for transparent investigations into the use of force.
President Trump has also used the moment to renew his call for Congress to pass legislation ending sanctuary city policies nationwide immediately.
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