Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said President Donald Trump expressed openness to reviewing the federal law enforcement presence in the state following recent fatal encounters involving immigration agents.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he spoke by phone Monday with President Donald Trump about federal immigration enforcement activity in the state, including recent fatal shootings involving federal agents, and said the president agreed to consider reducing the number of agents operating in Minnesota.
According to CBS, a spokesperson for Walz said the governor pressed for impartial investigations into the shootings in Minneapolis and asked that the federal footprint be scaled back. The spokesperson said Trump agreed to look into reducing the federal presence.
Walz’s office said the president also agreed to speak with Department of Homeland Security leadership to ensure that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct independent investigations into the shooting cases, consistent with standard procedure.
Trump confirmed the call in a post on Truth Social, writing that Walz had asked “to work together with respect to Minnesota,” and that the two leaders “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”
“I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession,” Trump wrote. “The Governor, very respectfully, understood that.”
Walz’s office said the governor told Trump that the Minnesota Department of Corrections already complies with federal detainer requests by notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement when someone in state custody is not a U.S. citizen.
“There is not a single documented case of the department’s releasing someone from state prison without offering to ensure a smooth transfer of custody,” Walz’s office said.
Earlier this month, the Minnesota Department of Corrections publicly rejected claims by ICE that the state was not honoring detainers, calling those assertions “categorically false.”
The call came a day after Walz sharply criticized federal immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and other parts of the state tied to Operation Metro Surge.
“What’s the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan?” Walz said during a Sunday news conference.
“What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state?” he asked.
“If fear, violence, and chaos is what you wanted from us, then you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation,” Walz said.
State and federal officials have continued to trade public statements as investigations into the recent shootings proceed and discussions continue over the scope and role of federal immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.
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