Federal immigration officials are adapting their techniques amid heightened tensions, President Donald Trump told NBC News’ Tony Llamas in an interview released Feb. 4.
“I learned that maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough,” Trump said. “We’re dealing with really hard criminals.”
The shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal authorities are complicated matters, according to the president.
“He was not an angel, and she was not an angel,” Trump said. “I’m not happy with what happened there, but I’m going to always be with our great people in law enforcement. If we don’t back them, we don’t have a country.”
Earlier in the day, border czar Tom Homan announced the drawdown of 700 immigration officers from Minnesota, citing “unprecedented cooperation” from local government and law enforcement officials.
“This is smarter enforcement, not less,” Homan told reporters at a Minneapolis press conference.
Trump said he directed the adjustments to staffing and deployment.
The president also announced changes Jan. 31 to engagement protocols for federal officers, who will no longer intervene with protests in Democrat-run cities unless invited. Agents will continue to protect and defend federal property nationwide.
Response tactics evolved during weeks of weeks of confrontation, as federal and state officials clashed on how best to manage the situation.
Trump described private conversations with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as positive. -- 📺 Watch NTD News 24/7 on cable, broadcast, and streaming: https://www.ntd.com/watch
And next we will take a look at immigration enforcement. President Trump has signaled
that immigration officials are adapting their techniques amid heightened tensions.
NTD's Daniel Monahan has more on that and an update from the southern border with DHS Secretary
Kristi Noem. The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota
due to increased cooperation with local law enforcement. Given this increase in unprecedented
collaboration and as a result of the need for less law enforcement officers to do this work
in a safer environment, I have announced effective immediately we will draw down 700 people.
Borders are Tom Holman said it is smarter enforcement not less. President Trump discussing
enforcement operations in Minnesota. I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer
touch but you still have to be tough. These are criminals. We're dealing with really hard
criminals. Trump says he has called Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frye and had great
conversations with them. And then I see them ranting and raving out there literally as though
a call wasn't made. Trump called the shooting deaths of Alex Pretty and Renee Good unfortunate
speaking on NBC News. He was not an angel and she was not an angel. You know you look at some
back but still I'm not happy with what happened there. Nobody could be happy and ICE wasn't happy
either. And the president says they have five cities his administration is strongly considering
for new enforcement operations but they prefer to be invited. We could have Chicago be a safe city
just like D.C. is a safe city just like all of these places that we've gone to. The Department
of Homeland Security said yesterday 4,000 illegal immigrants including violent criminals have been
arrested so far in Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge. Recent arrests include criminals
convicted of sexual conduct with a minor and domestic assault. President Trump praised DHS
Secretary Kristi Noem when asked if she still has his confidence. Look she was in charge of the
border. The border's closed. We have the best crime numbers that we've had in 125 years. I think she's
Again public relations. She's not getting credit for the job that she does. Noem visited the
southern border yesterday saying the Trump administration has delivered the most secure
border in American history. And we did it with the immediate aftermath we were facing from that
humanitarian crisis that was created from Joe Biden's open border policies. Noem says the border
is so quiet that sometimes you can even forget how bad it was just a little over a year ago. During
the Biden administration and those open border policies we saw even the U.N. declare that the
United States and Mexico border was the deadliest land route in the world. Noem says some counties
along the border had to install migrant morgues just to pick up the dead bodies that were passing
away. And while the left tries to tell us many times that it's somehow compassionate to allow
that kind of chaos, it isn't. It was dangerous. The Homeland Security Secretary criticized those
against enforcing immigration laws and deporting illegal immigrant criminals
saying what about the victims of their crimes. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. And Secretary Christy
Noem says a person accused of leaking information from the Department of Homeland Security
has been caught. She said the leaker put law enforcement at risk. She has not named an
individual. In a post on X, Noem said that the department would track down leakers and prosecute
them to the fullest extent of the law regardless of standing or political appointment. Noem said
there has been an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against federal agents in the recent months.
