In another apparent signal of a thaw in the standoff, a senior Trump administration official confirmed reports that Gregory Bovino, a top US Border Patrol official who has been a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats and civil liberties activists, will be leaving Minnesota along with some of the Border Patrol agents deployed to the Midwestern state.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Trump's designated border czar, Tom Homan, would be tasked with overseeing the Minnesota operations. Trump said earlier in the day that Homan was being dispatched to Minnesota.
Later on Monday, a different person familiar with the matter said Bovino has been removed from his role as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to his former job as a chief patrol agent along California's El Centro sector of the US-Mexico border. The source said he would then soon retire.
Another source confirmed Bovino would return to the El Centro sector but did not provide further details.
Word of Bovino's demotion was first reported by The Atlantic on Monday, citing an official from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and two other people with knowledge of the change. The Atlantic also said Bovino was expected to retire soon.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin disputed those reports, posting on X: "Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties."
Walz's office said he and Trump held a "productive call" in which the president said he would consider reducing the number of immigration agents in the state. He said Trump also agreed to direct the US Department of Homeland Security to ensure that the state could conduct its own investigation into the Pretti shooting.
Trump and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also said they had spoken together by telephone. Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, the president said that "lots of progress" was being made following their discussion.
Frey said Trump had "agreed the present situation can't continue," adding that it was understood that some federal agents "will begin leaving" the Twin Cities on Tuesday.
The unexpected burst of telephone diplomacy came two days after a 37-year-old intensive-care-unit nurse, Alex Pretti, was shot and killed by federal agents on a Minneapolis street during a confrontation between the immigration officers and protesters.
The killing of Pretti, the second US citizen fatally shot by immigration agents since the Trump administration deployed a force of 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area several weeks ago, has prompted a sharp public backlash against the mass deportation operation. Opinion polls show waning support for Trump's immigration enforcement tactics.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday showed some 58% of poll respondents said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have gone "too far" in their crackdown, while 12% said they had not gone far enough and 26% said the agents' efforts were "about right."
REPUBLICAN BREAKS WITH PARTY, DROPS GOVERNOR BID
The surge of agents has spurred massive street protests in below-freezing temperatures, and fierce condemnations by the state's Democratic leaders. Sixty of the state's largest businesses, including Target, 3M, UnitedHealth and US Bancorp, called for an immediate de-escalation of tensions between the state and the Trump administration on Sunday.
A leading Republican candidate for governor, Chris Madel, dropped his bid on Monday, saying the crackdown had gone too far and had made the race unwinnable for a Republican.
"I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so," he said in a video statement.
But video from the scene, verified by Reuters, contradicts that account. The footage shows Pretti holding a phone -- not a gun -- as agents wrestle him to the ground. It also shows officers removing a firearm stored near his waistband after he was subdued, moments before they fatally shot him. Pretti was a licensed gun owner.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will remain in her job "with the full trust and confidence of the President," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that his administration is "reviewing everything" about the incident and said immigration officials would eventually withdraw.
Recent Reuters polling indicates that a significant slice of Trump's Republican backers - 39% - are wary of the heavy-handed approach, saying harm should be minimized even if this means fewer immigration-related arrests.
In Washington, Democrats in the Senate have said they will oppose a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, raising the likelihood of a partial government shutdown starting on Sunday.
Republicans approved a massive budget increase for immigration enforcement last year, but some of them also have criticized the administration.
"I would encourage the administration to be more measured, to recognize the tragedy, and to say we don't want anyone's lives to be lost," Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on his podcast.
