Sawt Falasteen - US border chief says not 'surrendering' immigration mission

"We're going to make sure we do targeted enforcement operations," Tom Homan told reporters in the Minnesota city. "We are not surrendering our mission at all. We're just doing it smarter."

"President Trump wants this fixed. And I'm going to fix it."

The border czar called on Minnesota's residents to turn down the temperature and stop what he called "hateful rhetoric" against federal agents carrying out immigration raids.

Minneapolis has been gripped by weeks of protests against the roundup of undocumented migrants. Two Americans demonstrating against the sweeps have been shot dead by federal agents.

Homan struck a conciliatory tone at his first press conference, a marked difference from the Border Patrol commander who was previously heading the mission on the ground and has since been removed.

"One thing everybody I talked to agreed on was that community safety is paramount," Homan said.

"The mission is going to improve because of the changes we're making internally," he said. "President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made."

"That's exactly what I'm doing here," he said.

Homan said any federal agents who breach codes of conduct "will be dealt with."

The two agents involved in the latest shooting -- that of 37-year-old Veterans Hospital nurse Alex Pretti -- have been placed on leave pending an investigation.

Trump has scrambled to stem outrage across the political aisle over the killing, saying Tuesday he wanted to "de-escalate a little bit" in Minneapolis.

But the president on Wednesday accused the city's mayor Jacob Frey of "PLAYING WITH FIRE" for refusing to rally local police to enforce the federal immigration sweeps.

- Funding showdown -

The political battle could soon move to Congress, where Democrats are threatening to hold up authorization for swathes of government funding if reforms are not made to rein in the sprawling military-style immigration agencies.

Frey responded Wednesday to Trump ramping up his rhetoric, writing on X: "The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws."

In another challenge to Trump's immigration crackdown, a federal judge ruled Wednesday to halt the detention of refugees in Minnesota awaiting permanent resident status and ordered the release of those in custody.

Meanwhile, another federal judge slammed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief Todd Lyons, claiming he "has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence."

The White House initially justified Saturday's fatal shooting of Pretti, an intensive care nurse, whom Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem described as a "domestic terrorist."

But a widespread backlash forced Trump to shuffle leadership of immigration operations in Minneapolis, replacing Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino with Homan.

Trump's focus on Minnesota is linked to a probe into alleged corruption by Somali immigrants in the state, which he and right-wing allies have amplified as an example of what they say is a fight against alleged criminal immigrants.

The president has persistently targeted Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar, saying she should be sent back to Somalia.

In the latest sign of a deteriorating political climate, a man sprayed Omar with an unknown liquid while she was giving a speech late Tuesday, before being tackled by security and arrested.

Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST