Trump Says He’s ‘Very Strongly’ Considering 5 More U.S. Cities to Target After Minneapolis ICE Operation

President Donald Trump said his administration has a short list of at least five U.S. cities it wants to focus on after the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.

In a sit-down interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas on Wednesday, Feb. 4, Trump was asked about the Department of Homeland Security’s handling of immigration enforcement — including the recent shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents — and whether he believed the deaths were justified.

“No. I don’t. I — it should’ve not happened,” Trump, 79, replied. “It was a very sad — to me it was a very sad incident, two incidents.”

Trump’s regretful response — a sharp contrast from messaging elsewhere in his administration that labeled Good and Pretti “domestic terrorists” — prompted Llamas to ask whether the episode could signal changes in how agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection operate as the administration pursues mass deportations.

“What should Americans expect going forward?” Llamas, 46, asked.

Trump said he does not want to impose a federal operation on a city, even if local conditions are “terrible,” adding: “I wanna be called.”

Llamas then pressed him on whether he already has specific cities in mind. “Uh we have five cities that we’re looking at very strongly,” Trump replied. “But we wanna be invited.”

Asked to name them — “Are they cities like Chicago? Philadelphia?” — Trump said, “Well, we’ll be announcing ‘em very quickly.” The White House told PEOPLE on Thursday, Feb. 5, that they have nothing further to share; PEOPLE has sought more information from the DHS.

Throughout the discussion, Trump moved between talking about DHS immigration activity and describing his willingness to deploy the National Guard to address crime, leaving it unclear what kind of federal footprint he expects in those next cities.

In New Orleans, the administration has carried out a Border Patrol operation while also calling in the National Guard, suggesting that both approaches are being considered when a city becomes a focus.

Trump also pointed to San Francisco, saying friends urged him to step in on crime but he wanted to give the city’s Democratic mayor time to handle it. The San Francisco Police Department has reported its lowest homicide rate in 70 years for 2025, citing declines across major crime categories.

Llamas also asked whether Trump continues to stand by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has faced intense criticism over DHS tactics and her accounts of the Minneapolis shootings.

“I do,” Trump said, later adding, “I think she’s doing a very good job.”

Trump characterized her problem as more “public relations” than performance, arguing her biggest accomplishments have come at the southern border and saying, “She’s not getting credit for the job that she does.”

Trump went on to argue that Good and Pretti’s deaths — while tragic — were being treated as defining moments that obscured what he described as successful deportation efforts.

“Two people out of tens of thousands, okay? And you get bad publicity,” he said. “Nobody talks about all of the murderers that we’re taking out of our country. They don’t talk about —”

Llamas cut in: “But it was two Americans who died, you know.”