A top US immigration official is expected to leave the US city of Minneapolis in what may mark a shift in the White House’s tone after the fatal shooting of a second US citizen by federal officers over the weekend.
As Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and some immigration agents depart, “border tsar” Tom Homan will begin leading on-the-ground efforts in the Minnesota city after the shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday escalated tensions.
The decision by President Donald Trump may indicate the administration’s interest in walking back more aggressive federal action in his nationwide immigration crackdown.
Despite the announcement, online tracking shows immigration raids have continued.
Bovino was the face of the operation when Pretti – an observer seen filming agents – became involved in a confrontation that ended in him being shot numerous times.
The border control commander inflamed the situation in the aftermath, claiming that Pretti intended to “massacre” federal agents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the agents fired in self-defence after Pretti, who they say had a handgun, resisted their attempts to disarm him on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses, local officials and the victim’s family have challenged that account, pointing out Pretti had a phone in his hand, not a weapon. His parents, meanwhile, have accused the administration of spreading “sickening lies” about what happened.
Bovino has been key to the Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration enforcement in several cities, active on social media and regularly filming raids and posting promotional videos showing his agents’ action.
Homan, who will report directly to the president, advocates for Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement. But he also has experience in the role – Homan worked with immigration and deportations during Barack Obama’s Democrat administration.
On Monday tension and frustration over the presence of federal officials remained high in Minneapolis.
“A lot of people aren’t able to work right now, they aren’t able to leave their house, they’re afraid,” said George Cordero, a resident of St Paul, Minneapolis’, sister city.
