Donald Trump agrees to ‘look into’ pulling some ICE agents out of Minnesota, says Tim Walz’s office – US politics live | Minnesota
Trump agrees to ‘look into’ pulling some ICE agents out of Minnesota, says Walz’s office
We have more on the phone call that took place today between Donald Trump and Minnesota governor Tim Walz, which we covered per Trump’s perspective earlier.
According to a statement from Walz’s office, the two held a “productive” call where the president “agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals”.
Trump also agreed to talk to the Department of Homeland Security “about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case”, the statement says.
Per my colleague Hugo Lowell, Trump’s call with Walz comes amid widening public backlash to the aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota, which could be compounded with further bad news if a federal judge finds as early as today that Operation Metro Surge was broadly illegal.
Key events
Department of justice fights court order requiring federal agents to preserve evidence in Alex Pretti’s death
Trump administration officials are fighting a court order issued late Saturday that requires federal agents to preserve evidence in Alex Pretti’s death.
The temporary restraining order stemmed from a request from the Minnesota bureau of criminal apprehension (MBCA) and Hennepin county attorney’s office. They alleged that feds had stymied their investigative efforts of Pretti’s death at the hands of federal agents.
Trump’s justice department claimed in court papers that they “fail to establish that they will be irreparably harmed absent a temporary restraining order”.
They claim that federal agents “are already obligated to preserve the evidence at issue here under their own policies”.
They contend that the FBI gathered evidence from the scene of Pretti’s death “using appropriate collection and handling procedures, and that evidence is currently preserved and stored in a secure evidence room at the Minneapolis field office”.
“The evidence is being preserved; nothing has been destroyed or altered. [Customs and Border Protection] has preserved all relevant body-worn camera footage from the incident and will do so for 75 years.” They also said that ICE was in possession of “limited evidence and follows stringent requirements for the documentation, retention, and accountability of its investigative records and evidence”.
The justice department insists that Minnesota and Minneapolis officials don’t have a right to steer the feds’ evidence-handling procedures, “particularly procedures involving an immigration-enforcement incident”.
A court hearing on the TRO is scheduled for 2pm local time.
White House insists that Trump supports second amendment rights
Leavitt says, “The president supports the second amendment rights of law abiding American citizens. Absolutely.”
She goes on to caveat this by repeating the administration’s suggestions that Alex Pretti, who was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, was at fault. [A reminder that Pretti had a gun on his person but video footage shows he was holding his phone, not a weapon, when he was confronted by law enforcement.]
Leavitt says:
There has been no greater supporter or defender of the right to bear arms than President Donald J Trump. So while Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms, Americans do not have a constitutional right to impede lawful immigration enforcement operations. And as any gun owner knows that when you are carrying a weapon, when you are bearing arms and you are confronted by law enforcement, you are raising the assumption of risk, and the risk of a force being used against you. And again, that’s unfortunately what took place on Saturday.
Leavitt is asked how many shots were fired, how many guns were discharged, and whether Alex Pretti’s gun went off or only the federal agents’ guns.
She says the investigation is ongoing and includes interviews with the agents involved.
Noem still has Trump’s ‘utmost confidence and trust’ and continues to oversee DHS, says White House
Leavitt is asked if Tom Homan’s deployment to Minnesota should be taken as a sign that Trump is “dissatisfied” with the officials on the ground who handled the incident.
Leavitt says, “No,” adding that Kristi Noem “still has the [president’s] utmost confidence and trust” and says Noem is continuing to oversee the Department of Homeland Security and immigration enforcement across the country.
Trump calls on Congress to pass legislation ending sanctuary cities
Trump is calling on Congress to “immediately pass legislation ending sanctuary cities once and for all”, Leavitt says.
White House says CBP ‘won’t be needed’ in Minnesota if Walz and Grey comply with anti-immigration measures
“That’s why President Trump spoke with Governor Walz directly this morning, and he has outlined a clear and simple path to restoring law and order in Minnesota,” Leavitt says.
Number one, governor Wallace, Mayor Frey and all Democrat leaders should turn over all criminal illegal aliens currently incarcerated in their prisons and jails to federal authorities along with any illegal aliens with active warrants or known criminal histories for immediate deportation.
Number two, state and local law enforcement must agree to turn over all illegal aliens who are arrested by local police.
And then thirdly, local police must assist federal law enforcement in apprehending and detaining illegal aliens who are wanted for crimes, especially violent crimes.
If Governor Walz and Mayor Frey implement these common sense, cooperative measures, that I will add, have already been implemented in nearly every single other state across the country, Customs and Border Protection will not be needed to support Ice on the ground in Minnesota.
Leavitt goes on to accuse Walz and Frey of “using their platforms to encourage leftwing agitators to stalk, record, confront and obstruct federal officers who are just trying to lawfully perform their duties”.
This, she claims, “has created dangerous situations, threatening both these officers and the general public and Minnesotans alike”.
“This is precisely what unfolded in Minneapolis on Saturday morning,” she adds.
“But let’s be clear about the circumstances which led to that moment on Saturday,” Leavitt goes on.
This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota for weeks. Governor Walz and the mayor, Jacob Frey, and other elected Democrats were spreading lies about federal law enforcement officers who are risking their lives daily to remove the worst criminal, illegal aliens from our streets.
Leavitt says Saturday’s [fatal] shooting [of Alex Pretti] remains under active investigation by the FBI, homeland security and customs border officials.
“The administration is reviewing everything with respect to the shooting, and we will let that investigation play out,” she says.
Trump does not want to see people killed on US streets, says White House
Leavitt is speaking now.
“Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets,” she says. “This includes Renee Good, Alex Pretti, the brave men and women of federal law enforcement, and the many Americans who have been victimized at the hands of illegal aliens.”
We’re waiting to hear from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shortly. I’ll bring you all the key lines from that once the press briefing gets under way.
Trump agrees to ‘look into’ pulling some ICE agents out of Minnesota, says Walz’s office
We have more on the phone call that took place today between Donald Trump and Minnesota governor Tim Walz, which we covered per Trump’s perspective earlier.
According to a statement from Walz’s office, the two held a “productive” call where the president “agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals”.
Trump also agreed to talk to the Department of Homeland Security “about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case”, the statement says.
Per my colleague Hugo Lowell, Trump’s call with Walz comes amid widening public backlash to the aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota, which could be compounded with further bad news if a federal judge finds as early as today that Operation Metro Surge was broadly illegal.
Chris Stein
A Democratic congressman who broke with his party to help pass a bill that provides funding to ICE today expressed regret for his vote in the wake of the killing of US citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Tom Suozzi, who represents a swing district encompassing New York City’s suburbs, was one of seven Democrats who on Thursday joined with all members of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives to pass the homeland security department appropriations bill, which includes funding for ICE.
In a statement posted to social media, Suozzi wrote that he “failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis. I hear the anger from my constituents, and I take responsibility for that. I have long been critical of ICE’s unlawful behavior and I must do a better job demonstrating that.”
He called the Saturday killing of Pretti by federal agents a “senseless and tragic murder” which “what happens when untrained federal agents operate without accountability. President Trump must immediately end ‘Operation Metro Surge’ and ICE’s occupation of Minneapolis that has sown chaos, led to tragedy, and undermined experienced local law enforcement.”
Pretti’s killing has made the homeland security appropriations bill and its funding for ICE a major point of contention in Congress as lawmakers race to meet a 30 January deadline to fully fund the government or risk a partial shutdown.
The Senate must now approve the homeland security appropriations bills along with five others to fund the government. The measure will require at least some Democratic votes to pass, but following Pretti’s killing, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said the party would not back the homeland security funding bill until it is rewritten.
Shrai Popat
Senator Angus King of Maine, an independent lawmaker who caucuses with Democrats, said that he would not vote for a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as it stands.
Speaking on Face the Nation, King said that he couldn’t vote for a bill that “includes ICE funding under these circumstances”. He cited the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti and the ongoing surge of federal immigration enforcement in his home state. The DHS appropriations bill includes maintaining a $10bn annual budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The legislation is currently part of a six-bill package that’s headed to the Senate floor this week, with a 30 January deadline. Earlier, we reported that the upper chamber’s top appropriator. The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, has called on Republican majority leader John Thune to separate the DHS bill from the remaining funding measures.
On Sunday, King pushed for Senate leadership to do the same. “Let’s have an honest negotiation, put some guardrails on what’s going on, some accountability, and that would solve this problem,” he added.
A reminder that King was one of a handful of lawmakers who broke with the Democratic party and voted to pass a stopgap funding bill in November, ending a record-breaking government shutdown.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer doubled down on his request to separate Department of Homeland Security funding from a six-bill appropriations package.
Schumer previously said that he would block a six-bill package but would move forward the five bills that don’t involve DHS – averting a partial government shutdown.
“Senate Democrats have made clear we are ready to quickly advance the five appropriations bills separately from the DHS funding bill before the January 30th deadline,” Schumer said in a statement.
“The responsibility to prevent a partial government shutdown is on Leader Thune and Senate Republicans.”
“If Leader Thune puts those five bills on the floor this week, we can pass them right away. If not, Republicans will again be responsible for another government shutdown.”
As the Hill reported, there are logistical complications, upping the stakes of a possible shutdown.
Thune would have to get Senate Republicans on board with omitting the DHS bill which, per The Hill, is “something that he would need the consent of the entire Senate to do.”
And, Thune could try advancing the other five bills, but the chances are slim he could pull this off by 30 January, “given the Senate’s time-consuming floor procedures”.
President Trump is claiming that Minnesota governor Tim Walz called him “with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota” and said the governor was glad border czar Tom Homan was being dispatched to his state.
“It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength. I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession.
“The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future. He was happy that Tom Homan was going to Minnesota, and so am I” Trump also said in a Truth Social post, insisting that his administration’s immigration enforcement surge had helped other places.
“Even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!” Trump said.
The Guardian reached out to Walz’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Now, it’s important to remember: The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that Minnesota authorities have not cooperated in turning over immigrants in criminal custody.
Minnesota’s department of corrections had to put out a fact sheet over these claims, saying that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security “continues to release false numbers about ICE detainers in Minnesota”.
“DOC honors every ICE detainer, even beyond state law requirements,” the department said in this fact sheet. “DOC coordinates every custody transfer with ICE. No exceptions.”
The entire document can be read here.
As a hearing challenging the legality of federal agents’ immigration enforcement surge unfolds in Minnesota federal court, one clear focal point emerging is Attorney General Pam Bondi’s letter to Governor Tim Walz.
Bondi’s missive demanded that Walz release information about Minnesota’s voter rolls and welfare program. She wrote: “I am confident that these simple steps will help bring back law and order to Minnesota and improve the lives of Americans.”
Minnesota officials, as well as many Democrats, have claimed that Bondi’s letter is tantamount to extortion – that it’s a call to comply with these demands lest the sprawling deployment of federal agents continues.
Lindsey Middlecamp, one of the attorneys representing Minnesota in court this morning, told the judge that Bondi’s letter amounted to “a ransom note,” the New York Times reported.
Judge Kate Menendez has been pressing a Department of Justice attorney Brantley Mayers on Bondi’s letter.
According to court reporter Adam Klasfeld, Menendez said: “You’re asking me to believe that the surge has nothing to do with coercing the Plaintiffs into changing their policies.”
Menendez also wanted to know about Donald Trump’s retribution comment.
The attorney said he didn’t see Trump’s social media post, per Klasfeld.
Police leaders in Minnesota have asked for a meeting with Donald Trump, saying “communities across our state are experiencing heightened stress and uncertainty, placing significant demands on our communities and the public safety agencies that serve them”.
“Law enforcement professionals are being asked to operate in complex, high-pressure environments while communities seek reassurance, clarity, and stability,” the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) said in a statement.
“In light of these challenges, the MCPA has requested a meeting with President Trump to discuss these issues directly and to share the perspectives of Minnesota’s law enforcement leaders. This dialogue would be constructive and timely.
“The MCPA remains committed to the constitutional protections that define the relationship between the public and government authority. Public trust depends on consistent, professional conduct,” the statement also said. “At the same time, officer safety must remain a fundamental priority, as it is inseparable from the safety of the communities officers serve.
“A constructive path forward is essential. The MCPA encourages greater dialogue among federal and state leaders to support professional conduct that strengthens public safety, protects law enforcement professionals, and maintains public trust across Minnesota.”
The MCPA’s mention of greater dialogue is notable.
Minneapolis prosecutors and a state law enforcement agency filed suit late on Saturday, alleging that federal agents had stymied their investigation of the site where Alex Pretti was killed. A judge issued a temporary restraining order requiring federal authorities to preserve evidence in Pretti’s killing.
Minnesota attorneys have wrapped initial arguments in their push for a judge to block the surge of immigration enforcement agents in their state.
The judge is now questioning a Department of Justice attorney, Adam Klasfeld reports.
