Trump Signals Retreat on Minnesota Immigration Crackdown After Fatal Shooting

What started as a show of force is now beginning to look like a tactical retreat.

After weeks of escalating tensions and public backlash over aggressive immigration enforcement in Minnesota, President Donald Trump on Monday showed his first signs of pulling back, replacing the official leading the crackdown on the ground and signaling a newfound willingness to work with Democratic state and city leaders. The shift comes amid mounting outrage over the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti and the administration’s early, disputed attempts to label him a “domestic terrorist.”

While the White House insists enforcement will continue, the moves raise a bigger question: is this a real course correction, or simply damage control?

The clearest sign of change may arrive as soon as Tuesday. According to sources familiar with internal discussions, Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino and several agents are expected to leave Minneapolis after Trump tapped longtime immigration hardliner Tom Homan to take over on-the-ground operations. Bovino had encouraged a sweeping, heavy-handed approach that repeatedly sparked confrontations with protesters and his sidelining suggests the administration is trying to dial down the chaos.

Inside the Department of Homeland Security, the leadership shake-up was met with quiet relief. Homan, a veteran ICE official with decades of law enforcement experience, is seen by some as better equipped to stabilize an operation that many believe spiraled out of control. His appointment also drew praise from GOP leaders on Capitol Hill, who have grown increasingly uneasy about the political fallout.

That unease intensified after Pretti’s killing on Saturday. Republicans privately warned the White House that the situation was threatening to undermine Trump’s broader immigration agenda and risk long-term damage to the party. Some feared the unrest was overshadowing the fraud investigation that initially prompted the surge of federal agents into Minnesota. Others worried it could derail unrelated priorities, including a looming Department of Homeland Security funding fight that Democrats now threaten to block.

Trump himself appeared to recognize the shifting narrative. On Monday, he spoke with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, temporarily setting aside months of public insults. “It was a very good call,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the two leaders seemed “on a similar wavelength.” He later described a call with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as “very good,” declaring that “lots of progress is being made!”

Still, the administration has struggled to strike the right tone. While White House officials backed away from claims that Pretti was an attacker, they continued to deflect blame. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Trump personally labeled Pretti a domestic terrorist even as other officials had done so and accused Democratic leaders and protesters of creating a volatile environment that led to the shooting.

Now, with Homan preparing to meet Walz and Frey, the immediate goal appears to be cooling tensions before they boil over again. Whether this marks a genuine reset or merely a pause remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the pressure is no longer just on the streets of Minneapolis. It’s on the White House itself.