"We are going to de-escalate the situation a bit," President Donald Trump told Fox News on 27/1, adding that it was not a "withdrawal."

The President also acknowledged that Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander known for his hardline stance on immigration, who was recently reassigned from Minneapolis, was "quite extreme" and his presence in the city did not help the current situation.

President Donald Trump at the White House on 27/1. Photo: AP

Trump stated that Tom Homan, a top US border security official with a less confrontational style, met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on the same day. Their meeting aimed to manage the fallout after an immigration agent shot and killed 37-year-old male nurse Alex Pretti on 24/1.

Pretti was the second US citizen shot dead by immigration agents in Minneapolis this month, making the city a focal point of tensions and disputes surrounding the Trump administration's mass deportation policy. US citizen Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot at close range by an agent inside her car on 7/1.

Despite multiple videos showing Pretti posed no threat, senior officials initially claimed he intended to kill federal agents. The President rejected a senior aide's description of Pretti as an "assassin." "I want a truly fair and impartial investigation," he said. However, the President still criticized Pretti for carrying a gun, despite having a license and it having been confiscated before he was shot. "I don't like that he had a gun, nor do I like that he was carrying two loaded magazines," the President stated.

President Trump publicly supported Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who had described Pretti as a "domestic terrorist," asserting she would not resign and was doing "a very good job."

Mayor Frey stated in a post-meeting statement with Homan that he discussed the severe negative impacts the immigration crackdown had on Minneapolis, affirming that the city would not enforce federal immigration laws. Governor Walz reported that he requested impartial investigations into the shootings by federal agents in the city and proposed a significant reduction of these forces in Minnesota.

Pretti's death is fueling outrage across the US. Former President Joe Biden stated on 27/1 that the Minneapolis incident "betrayed the most fundamental American values." Republican Senator Rand Paul suggested that agents involved in the shooting should be placed on administrative leave for investigation, adding that the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service would testify before Congress next month.

The two shootings are the culmination of months of escalating violence. Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, wearing masks, lacking identification, and heavily armed, have continuously apprehended individuals suspected of illegal immigration on the streets. This issue could even lead to another US government shutdown, as Democrats threaten to block routine spending bills scheduled for a Senate vote this weekend.

"The entire community feels outraged by the whole situation," said Stephen McLaughlin, 68, a Minneapolis resident. "The government's goal is to intimidate people, which is truly frightening."

By Vu Hoang (According to AFP)