US President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, was set to present his immigration enforcement plans on Thursday at his first press conference in Minneapolis, as anger continued to mount over the fatal shooting of a nurse by federal agents.
The press briefing comes after the agents involved in the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti were placed on leave, a move US officials described as “standard protocol.” Pretti was shot multiple times on Saturday after being forced to the ground by camouflaged agents during a scuffle that was captured on video.
The incident has triggered outrage across the political spectrum, prompting Trump on Tuesday to say he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minneapolis. However, the president reversed course on Wednesday, sharply criticizing Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing him of “PLAYING WITH FIRE” for refusing to deploy local police to assist with the federal immigration crackdown.
The dispute is now threatening to spill into Congress, where Democrats have warned they may block authorization of major portions of US government funding unless reforms are introduced to rein in what they describe as militarized immigration agencies.
Mayor Frey pushed back strongly against Trump’s remarks, writing on X on Wednesday:
“The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws.”
He added: “I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad,” referring to an Ecuadoran father and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, who were detained by federal agents in the suburbs of Minneapolis and are currently being held at a Texas facility.
The White House initially defended the fatal shooting, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem describing Pretti, an intensive care nurse, as a “domestic terrorist.” However, the strong public backlash forced the administration to reshuffle leadership among immigration agents operating in Minneapolis.
Trump replaced Greg Bovino, a hardline official known for public, confrontational immigration raids, with Homan, who is seen as more policy-driven.
According to the White House, Homan was scheduled to address the media at 7:00 am local time (1300 GMT) on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi was also in Minneapolis on Wednesday, where she announced the arrest of 16 individuals accused of assaulting federal law enforcement officers during recent unrest linked to immigration enforcement operations.
