Trump Discusses Withdrawal of Federal Agents from Minneapolis

President Donald Trump shared with NBC News that he was responsible for the decision to pull hundreds of federal law enforcement officers out of Minneapolis following the recent fatal shootings of two residents. He indicated that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) might adopt a “softer response” in handling the situation.

In a statement released early Wednesday, White House border czar Tom Homan highlighted that 700 federal agents would be leaving the area, aiming for a “complete withdrawal” ultimately.

During an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas in the Oval Office, Trump conveyed that he “doesn’t want” to remove police officers from blue states, but he acknowledged the complexities involved in detaining illegal immigrants.

“I didn’t come here because I wanted to do it,” Trump remarked. “We’re waiting for them to release their prisoners and hand over to us the murderers and all the bad guys that they’re holding… Under the Biden administration, we have what I call an open border policy, and we’ve got about 25 million people in our country now. Some of them—well, I consider them the Autopen group—people that no country should accept, and we will kick them out.”

The president expressed support for the withdrawal, citing a decrease in crime rates in Minnesota and noting the significant number of illegal immigrants his administration has deported.

“Crime is down in every city,” he said. “Do you know why it’s down? It’s because of us. In Chicago alone, crime is down 25 percent, even though we’re addressing these issues regularly. They happen to be Democrats, and they really don’t understand much about crime prevention.”

Trump’s remarks come amid ongoing anti-immigrant tensions following the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Preti by federal agents.

When asked what insights he gained from the immigration crackdown, he suggested that perhaps a softer approach could be beneficial.

“We’ve learned that maybe we can be a little softer, but we still need to be tough,” he mentioned. “We’re dealing with really violent criminals. But look… I called the governor and the mayor, and I felt like they were almost screaming; it was surreal.”

The White House has not commented on these statements.

Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey have criticized the administration for allegedly violating rights, targeting minorities, and conducting searches without warrants. They’ve called for ICE to withdraw from blue states as state and local leaders around the country ask federal law enforcement to stop immigration enforcement in their areas.