U.S. President Donald Trump is facing mounting political fallout following the fatal shooting of a nurse in Minneapolis, as federal agents involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave and the White House moved to recalibrate its immigration enforcement strategy.
The controversy comes as Trump’s newly appointed “border czar,” Tom Homan, prepared on Thursday to unveil his plans at his first press conference as the administration’s new point man for an intensified immigration crackdown in the city.
The two agents involved in the shooting were placed on leave—a step U.S. officials described as “standard protocol”—after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot multiple times during a confrontation with camouflaged federal agents on Saturday. Pretti was reportedly forced to the ground during a scuffle that was captured on video and widely circulated online.
The killing has triggered outrage across the political spectrum, prompting Trump to briefly strike a conciliatory tone. Speaking on Tuesday, the president said he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minneapolis amid growing criticism.
However, Trump reversed course on Wednesday, sharply attacking Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for refusing to direct local police to assist in enforcing federal immigration laws. In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused the mayor of “PLAYING WITH FIRE.”
The standoff threatens to spill into Congress, where Democrats have warned they could delay approval of major portions of U.S. government funding unless reforms are introduced to curb the powers and conduct of federal immigration agencies, which critics say increasingly resemble military-style operations.
Mayor Frey pushed back against Trump’s remarks, writing on X that local law enforcement should focus on public safety rather than federal immigration enforcement.
“The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws,” Frey said. “I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad.”
He was referring to an Ecuadorian father of a five-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, who, along with his son, is being held at a detention facility in Texas after being apprehended by federal agents in suburban Minneapolis.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the White House defended the operation, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem describing Pretti, an intensive care nurse, as a “domestic terrorist”—a characterization that further fueled public backlash.
The growing criticism has since forced Trump to reshuffle leadership among immigration agents deployed in Minneapolis. The president replaced Greg Bovino, a hard-line official known for aggressive, highly publicized enforcement actions, with Tom Homan, a figure viewed as more policy-driven.
The leadership change signals an attempt by the administration to steady its response amid intensifying scrutiny, even as tensions over immigration enforcement continue to rise nationwide.
