US President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, was scheduled to outline his strategy at his first press conference on Thursday in Minneapolis, as controversy deepened over the fatal shooting of a nurse by federal immigration agents who have since been placed on leave.
The two officers involved were placed on leave—a step US officials described as “standard protocol”—following Saturday’s shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was killed after being forced to the ground by camouflaged agents during a confrontation captured on video.
Trump has moved quickly to contain growing outrage from both sides of the political spectrum, saying on Tuesday that he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minneapolis. However, the president reversed course a day later, accusing the city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, of “PLAYING WITH FIRE” for declining to deploy local police in support of federal immigration enforcement.
The dispute is now threatening to spill into Congress, where Democrats have warned they may block authorization for large portions of government funding unless reforms are introduced to curb the power and conduct of heavily armed immigration agencies.
Responding to Trump’s renewed rhetoric, Frey posted on X on Wednesday: “The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws.” He added, “I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad,” referring to an Ecuadorian man and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, who are currently being held at a detention facility in Texas after their arrest by federal agents outside Minneapolis.
The White House initially defended the killing of Pretti, an intensive care nurse, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem describing him as a “domestic terrorist.” However, the intense backlash that followed has prompted Trump to reshuffle leadership among the immigration agents deployed to the city.
Greg Bovino, known for his aggressive, media-heavy approach to immigration enforcement, was replaced by Homan, who is seen as more policy-oriented. According to the White House, Homan was due to speak to the press at 7 a.m. local time on Thursday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi was also in Minneapolis on Wednesday, announcing the arrest of 16 Minnesota “rioters” accused of assaulting federal law enforcement officers.
Despite repeated assurances that the crackdown is focused on serious criminals, the sight of masked, heavily armed agents detaining people from streets, homes and workplaces has shocked many Americans. Public anger intensified after immigration officers shot dead two Minneapolis protesters this month—Pretti and Renee Good—both of whom were US citizens.
Senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller initially justified Pretti’s killing by calling him a “would-be assassin,” despite video footage appearing to show the nurse posing no threat as he was shot in the back while pinned to the ground. Miller later acknowledged on Tuesday that the Customs and Border Patrol agents involved “may not have been following that protocol.”
US television networks have since aired footage said to show Pretti involved in another violent encounter with agents more than a week before his death, though the video has not been independently verified.
Confrontations between demonstrators and federal immigration officers have become increasingly frequent in Democratic-led cities. In Minneapolis, community activist Jennifer Arnold said Trump’s promise to ease tensions had made little difference on the ground.
“The Trump administration is saying that they’re going to change tactics…but we are not experiencing anything different on the ground, people are still being snatched off the streets,” Arnold told AFP.
Trump’s focus on Minnesota is also tied to an investigation into alleged corruption involving Somali immigrants in the state, an issue he and his allies have amplified as part of a broader narrative on criminal immigration. The president has repeatedly targeted Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar, claiming she should be sent back to Somalia.
Tensions escalated further late Tuesday when a man sprayed Omar with an unknown substance while she was delivering a speech, before being restrained by security. The suspect, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, was arrested on suspicion of assault.
Speaking to reporters in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, Omar said Trump’s repeated attacks on her had contributed to the incident. “I wouldn’t be where I am at today, having to pay for security, having the government to think about providing me security, if Donald Trump wasn’t in office, and if he wasn’t so obsessed with me,” she said, adding that intimidation “hasn’t worked thus far, and it’s not going to work in the future.”
What you should know
The situation in Minneapolis reflects growing national tension over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, particularly the use of heavily armed federal agents in urban areas.
While the White House insists the crackdown targets dangerous criminals, recent fatal shootings of US citizens and aggressive enforcement methods have intensified public outrage and political opposition. Leadership changes, including the appointment of Tom Homan, suggest an attempt to recalibrate strategy, but local officials and community members say conditions on the ground remain unchanged.
The controversy is also fueling broader debates in Congress about oversight, accountability and the limits of federal immigration authority.
