It seems that the White House is trying to de-escalate the situation in Minnesota after the killing of a second American citizen by federal agents. Polls show that most Americans disapprove of ICE's approach.
More and more Republican members of the US Congress seem to be worried about the murder of Alex Pretty in Minneapolis on Saturday. The differences between the videos released by eyewitnesses and what the Donald Trump administration claims about what happened are too great. The American publication "Politico” even speaks of "panic” in the ranks of the Republicans.
Hesitation among Republicans and disapproval from the people
The American president remains popular among his party members, so criticism of the approach of immigration services in Minnesota is not expressed publicly, ARD notes. Instead, they are disguised as criticism of the state's governance by representatives of the Democratic Party. For example, Congressman James Comer commented on "Fox News": "If I were President Trump, I would probably think something like: well, if the mayor and the governor are threatening ICE agents and there is a risk of more innocent people dying, maybe we should go to another city".
At the same time, public opinion polls in the US show that most Americans do not approve of ICE's approach - militarized actions in which aggressive masked federal agents carry out mass deportations. Citizens' opinion was negative even before Alex Pretty was killed a few days ago. The Republican governor of the state of Oklahoma, for example, also expressed his skepticism and commented that in his opinion Americans wonder what the ultimate goal of all this is - is every person in the US who is not a citizen to be deported? "I don't think the American people want this", said Governor Kevin Stitt.
Slight change of course
Now the White House seems to be making a slight change of course. "The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have been investigating the shooting since Saturday", said Trump's press secretary Caroline Levitt, specifying that the Border Patrol is conducting an independent internal investigation and the administration will await its results.
Earlier, President Donald Trump announced that he had spoken with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who appealed to him for cooperation, writes ARD. According to Trump, the two had a "very good conversation" and were on the same page. Later, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also spoke with the president and, according to him, Donald Trump agreed that things cannot continue like this. Therefore, some federal agents will be withdrawn.
The change of course seems to have a practical effect - Trump sent Tom Howman, the administration's coordinator for the border, to the state of Minnesota. He is to lead the operation there from now on. Howman will replace Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who is reported by a number of media outlets to be leaving Minneapolis. Howman is considered a hardliner, but also a person with a lot of experience, writes ARD. This change in the leadership of the operation is considered a small step towards de-escalation.
Democrats in Congress seem determined to vote against increasing ICE funding until a change is made in the federal agency's working method. A hearing will be held in two weeks for the current director of immigration services.