Trump Shifts Immigration Strategy After Fatal Shooting in Minneapolis
The White House is recalibrating its immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, installing former ICE Director Tom Homan to oversee the effort following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents on Saturday, January 26, 2026.This move comes amid growing national outrage and concerns that the incident could jeopardize President Trump’s broader immigration agenda.
homan will replace Gregory Bovino, the top Border Patrol official who led previous crackdowns in Democratic-led cities, according to sources familiar with the situation. The personnel change is part of a wider reassessment prompted by Pretti’s death, an ICU nurse shot during protests.
President Trump met with senior advisors over the weekend to discuss the administration’s response. Discussions included potentially reducing the number of federal agents deployed to Minnesota, narrowing the focus of ICE operations to prioritize deportations, and improving coordination with state authorities. The possibility of requiring body-worn cameras for immigration officers, similar to those used by many police departments, was also considered, according to a White House official.
the shooting of pretti, coupled with the earlier fatal shooting of Renee Good on January 12, 2026, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, has fueled criticism of the tactics employed by the approximately 3,000 federal agents operating in Minneapolis in recent weeks.
On Monday, January 27, 2026, Minnesota’s chief federal judge ordered the acting head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in court to explain the agency’s actions.
