BY MIRABEL ODETA
U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has directed the Department of Homeland Security to avoid involvement in protests taking place in Democratic-led cities unless local authorities formally request federal assistance or federal property comes under threat. The directive comes amid escalating tensions surrounding the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign, particularly in Minnesota, where weeks of unrest have followed a large-scale deployment of federal immigration agents.
The announcement follows a surge of demonstrations triggered by the presence of thousands of Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the Minneapolis area, as well as the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents. Authorities involved in the incidents said the officers acted in self-defense after facing perceived threats. However, those accounts have been widely questioned, with observers and activists pointing to bystander videos that appear to contradict the official explanations. Footage of Pretti’s death has fueled public outrage and intensified scrutiny of the administration’s use of force, particularly claims that he was armed at the time he was shot.
Protests opposing Trump’s immigration crackdown have spread beyond Minnesota, with demonstrators closely monitoring and following immigration officers during operations in Minneapolis and surrounding communities. Activists say their goal is to document enforcement actions and deter what they describe as excessive or unlawful behavior by federal agents.
While Trump’s order suggests DHS should steer clear of direct confrontations with protesters during street demonstrations or immigration raids, the president made clear that federal officers would continue to take a hard line when it comes to protecting federal property. In a social media post, Trump said ICE and Border Patrol agents would act decisively to defend courthouses, federal buildings, and other facilities under federal control, warning that any damage would not be tolerated.
Trump emphasized that cities and states bear primary responsibility for safeguarding their own local and state property, while also placing pressure on governors and mayors to assist in protecting federal sites. He said the federal government stands ready to intervene if asked, asserting that any such situation could be handled “very easily and methodically” with proper cooperation from local officials.
Requests for comment from the Department of Homeland Security, the office of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison were not immediately returned. State and city leaders in Minnesota have been vocal in their opposition to the federal immigration operation, arguing that it has destabilized communities and heightened tensions without improving public safety.
On Friday, thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Minneapolis and other U.S. cities demanding the withdrawal of federal immigration agencies from Minnesota following the deaths of Good and Pretti. The demonstrations marked one of the largest public responses yet to the administration’s decision to send roughly 3,000 federal officers to the region as part of its broader immigration enforcement push.
The situation reflects a familiar pattern during Trump’s presidency, as he has repeatedly deployed federal law enforcement officers or National Guard troops to cities largely governed by Democrats, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon. Trump has consistently defended these actions as necessary to uphold immigration laws and combat crime, while local leaders in many of those cities have rejected that claim, saying the federal presence has inflamed tensions rather than resolved them.
Minnesota officials have urged the administration to end the operation in their state, but their legal efforts suffered a setback on Saturday when a federal judge denied a request for a preliminary injunction that would have paused the federal crackdown. The ruling allows immigration enforcement activities to continue, even as protests and political opposition show little sign of slowing.