(AFP) – President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned the mayor of Minneapolis — where the brutal killings of two US protesters by immigration agents sparked nationwide outrage — that he is “playing with fire.” Trump told Mayor Jacob Frey that his refusal to cooperate with federal authorities on rooting out suspected illegal immigrants was “a very serious violation of the law.” The statement on Trump’s Truth Social platform contradicted the 79-year-old Republican president’s earlier statement that he wanted to “de-escalate.”
A top hard-line White House official retreated late Tuesday on his initial attempt to justify the shooting of a protester Saturday. And Trump shuffled the leadership of immigration agents deployed in Minneapolis, putting a less confrontational figure in charge. But the Minnesota city remains the focal point for national tensions over the immigration crackdown. While the White House insists that it is targeting hardened criminals, the use of masked, heavily armed men to snatch people from streets, homes, and workplaces has caused widespread shock.
That turned to fury this month after immigration agents shot dead two Minneapolis protesters at point-blank range. The latest, intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretti, was shot multiple times after being forced to the ground by camouflaged officers. Top Trump aide Stephen Miller initially justified Pretti’s killing by branding him a “would-be assassin” — despite video evidence clearly showing the 37-year-old man posed no threat when he was gunned down. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, another key Trump loyalist, had claimed Pretti committed “domestic terrorism.” Late Tuesday, Miller acknowledged that the Customs and Border Patrol agents who killed Pretti “may not have been following protocol.”
Seeking to distance himself from the fallout, Trump also struck a more conciliatory tone Tuesday. However, Trump said there was no plan for a “pullback” and he has resisted calls to sack Noem. The political battle could soon move to Congress where Democrats are threatening to hold up authorization for swaths of US government funding if reforms are not made to rein in the sprawling military-style immigration agencies.
Trump’s focus on Minnesota is linked to a probe into alleged corruption by Somali immigrants in the state. Trump and his right-wing media supporters have heavily amplified the probe as an example of what they say is a fight against criminal immigrants around the country. The president has made a particular target of Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whom he routinely insults in speeches and says should be sent back to Somalia.
In the latest sign of how the political climate is deteriorating, a man attacked Omar with an unidentified liquid while she was giving a speech late Tuesday, before being tackled by security. “Here is the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand — we are Minnesota strong and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us,” Omar said to the meeting of constituents.
Frey, a Democrat, told Trump’s new point man for Minnesota, Tom Homan, that he has no intention of using city resources to help federal authorities in the immigration crackdown. They “will not enforce federal immigration laws and…we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe,” Frey said on X. “I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers,” he wrote. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Pretti’s death as “concerning” on Wednesday, and French basketball star Victor Wembanyama said he was “horrified” by the news.
burs-sms/acb – Greg Walton with Sebastian Smith in Washington
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