Washington, Han 26, (dpa/GNA) – US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he spoke by phone with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after the fatal shooting of a second protester by federal agents in Minneapolis heightened tensions over the administration’s immigration crackdown.
“It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, striking a notably positive tone.
Walz’s office later confirmed the call, describing it as “productive,” and said Trump had agreed to consider reducing the number of federal agents deployed in Minnesota. Walz is a Democrat.
The phone call followed the killing of US citizen and nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Pretti’s killing further inflamed Minneapolis, a city that was already on edge after another US citizen, Renee Good, was fatally shot by immigration officers while unarmed and behind the wheel of her car on January 7.
The killings by the officers, which the Trump administration have describe as self-defence, sparked huge protests in the city and solidarity demonstrations across the country.
Trump announced on Monday he was deploying his border czar, Tom Homan, to oversee operations in Minneapolis.
“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Homan’s arrival in Minneapolis could signal a shift in approach amid public outcry over the heavy-handed tactics associated with Gregory Bovino, the official overseeing Border Patrol operations and the public face of Trump’s campaign against undocumented immigrants.
The investigation into the Pretti’s shooting is being led by the FBI and a law enforcement agency within the US Department of Homeland Security, the White House said later on Monday.
The FBI and the Homeland Security Investigations unit (HSI) are questioning the officers involved in what White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described as an “unfortunate tragedy.”
GNA