Trump called on Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to take several actions related to immigration enforcement.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said he had a “very good” phone call on Jan. 26 with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and that the two leaders are on a “similar wavelength” amid unrest in Minneapolis, tied to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection operations.
The call followed the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Minneapolis. Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI are jointly investigating the incident, alongside an internal CBP review.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti was shot after “brandishing” a firearm, but critics have characterized the shooting as murder.
The incident occurred just weeks after another fatal shooting in Minneapolis, in which ICE officers killed Renee Good after she allegedly attempted to run over an agent with her vehicle.
In a post on Truth Social on Jan. 26, Trump said White House border czar Tom Homan would travel to Minnesota and remain in contact with Walz. In a separate post, Trump said Homan would report directly to him. The president also said he and Walz plan to speak again “in the near future.”
Walz’s office described the call as “productive.”
“The governor made the case that we need impartial investigations of the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, and that we need to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota,” Walz’s office stated.
In another post on Truth Social, Trump said he also talked with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in what the president said was “a very good” conversation. Trump said Homan will meet with Frey.
In a Jan. 25 Truth Social post, Trump called on Walz and Frey—along with Democratic governors and mayors nationwide—to take several actions related to immigration enforcement.
Trump’s demands included transferring “criminal illegal aliens” currently held in state prisons and local jails to federal authorities for immediate deportation, as well as turning over illegal immigrants arrested by local police.
He also called for increased cooperation between local and federal law enforcement in arresting and detaining illegal immigrants wanted for crimes, and he urged Democratic leaders to work with the federal government to expedite the removal of criminal offenders from the United States.
