President Donald Trump told NBC News he learned “maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch” in Minneapolis as his immigration crackdown there faces mounting scrutiny following the shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents last month.
“I learned that maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough,” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas.
“We’re dealing with really hard criminals. But look, I’ve called the people. I’ve called the governor. I’ve called the mayor. Spoke to ‘em. Had great conversations with them. And then I see them ranting and raving out there. Literally as though a call wasn’t made,” the president said.
Why It Matters
Trump’s comments come amid significant backlash—some of it from prominent Republicans—over the Department of Homeland Security’s response to the deaths of Good and Pretti and its handling of the broader enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
Earlier on Wednesday, border czar Tom Homan, who was dispatched to take charge of operations in Minnesota, said 700 agents would be leaving the state as part of a drawdown that took effect the same day.
What To Know
Homan did not offer a timeline for when the Trump administration might fully end the operation, which has become a flashpoint in the national debate over the president’s immigration enforcement agenda.
Even after the reduction, about 2,000 federal officers will remain in Minnesota, Homan said. That number is roughly in line with the early-January deployment, when the surge began. DHS has described the effort as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever conducted in the country.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey—both Democrats who have criticized the operation—called the withdrawal of 700 officers a positive first step, but said the remaining federal presence should be ended as soon as possible.
The partial pullback follows sustained public criticism and a decline in confidence in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to recent polling.
The share of Americans who said they had “very little confidence” in ICE rose from 45 percent in December to 55 percent in late January, while the proportion of Republicans expressing low confidence increased from 8 percent to 16 percent, according to Economist/YouGov surveys conducted January 23–26, 2026.
After Pretti’s shooting, Trump removed Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino from the Minneapolis operation and put Homan in charge, describing him as “tough but fair” and saying he would report directly to the president. The move also effectively reduced the role of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who has privately attributed aspects of the operation’s fallout to Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller, according to people familiar with the matter.
