White House Supports Deportation Campaign After Minneapolis Fallout

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration’s extensive deportation campaign, claiming it continues to resonate with Americans despite growing criticism following a tragic shooting in Minnesota.

Speaking at a White House press briefing, Leavitt stated that the policy has widespread public support, adding that most Americans support President Trump’s push for strong border security and tough immigration enforcement against criminal illegal immigrants, with polls showing overwhelming support for the approach.

White House Responds After Minneapolis Shooting

Her comments come two days after a federal agent fatally shot a Minneapolis resident, spurring demands from Republicans and Democrats to reconsider federal enforcement actions in the city.

Leavitt claimed that state and local officials had failed to effectively support deportation operations and emphasized that the government would not shift course, stating that Trump “will never back down from his promise to deport violent criminal illegal aliens.”

Following a phone chat about the increasing crisis in Minneapolis following the death of a US citizen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, President Donald Trump stated that he and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz were on the same “wavelength.”

Trump Sends Top Border Official to Minnesota

Trump detailed the chat on his social media platform Truth Social, stating that Walz had “called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota.” He recalled the interaction positively, stating, “It was a very good call, and we appeared to be on the same wavelength.”

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Trump stated that he informed Walz that he would arrange for Tom Homan to contact him, adding, “The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking with him in the near future,” and that Walz was “happy that Tom Homan was going to Minnesota, and so am I!”

The US President also cited successes in law-and-order efforts, saying, “We have had such tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually every other place that we have ‘touched’ and, even in Minnesota, crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!”

Legal Challenges and Protests Grow

Trump had previously stated that he would send Homan, his top border security officer, to Minnesota following the death shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti during a confrontation with federal officials on Saturday.

Federal officials have refused to offer vital information supporting their assertion that an agent shot Pretti in self-defense. A judge heard arguments on whether to temporarily halt Minnesota’s immigration enforcement, and a separate federal court hearing is scheduled for today following a temporary restraining order prohibiting agencies from deleting or altering evidence related to Pretti’s death.

The findings came after protests erupted in Minneapolis over the deaths of two US citizens during immigration enforcement operations, adding to rising criticism of how federal officers are employed.

White House Faces Political Pressure

Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot on January 7 during protests against the administration’s militarised raids. Pretti was slain at point-blank range on January 24 while being restrained by federal authorities.

Trump supported ICE’s actions, claiming Pretti may have been armed, despite reports that he was allowed to carry a firearm and had already been disarmed.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison dismissed the president’s assertions as “flat-out insane.”

The instances have sparked legal challenges to the deployment of heavily armed, masked federal officials in Minnesota, with judges debating whether the activities violate state sovereignty.

Meanwhile, congressional Democrats have threatened to withhold government funding unless immigration enforcement methods are improved.