All eyes have been on Minneapolis for weeks, as the Democrat-led city has been rocked by riots and violence, including two fatal altercations with federal law enforcement. While Border Czar Tom Homan is on the scene and pledging a “drawdown,” easing the conflict between left-wing rioters and federal agents, President Donald Trump still has to contend with backlash against his Homeland Security Secretary and congressional Republicans breaking ranks on the Trump administration’s signature issue. Here are the latest updates.

Boots on the Ground

Homan explained in a press conference Thursday that Democratic leaders, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have agreed to compromise on “sanctuary” policies and instead direct state and local law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, in addition to allowing ICE personnel access to jails and prisons.

“We didn’t agree on everything. I didn’t expect to agree. I’ve heard many people want to know why we want to talk to people they don’t consider friends of the administration. The bottom line is you can’t fix problems if you don’t have discussions,” Homan shared of his discussions with Walz, Ellison, and Frey. “One thing we did agree on, though — everybody I talked to agreed on — was that community safety is paramount. The thing we all agreed on was U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a legitimate law enforcement agency that has a duty to enforce the laws enacted by Congress and keep this community safe.”

“To be clear, we did not agree with Minnesota state and local officials that they would be involved in immigration enforcement. I didn’t ask them to be immigration officers,” the Border Czar stressed. Instead, he shared that Minnesota and Minneapolis law enforcement personnel would simply “help us take criminal aliens off the street.” He noted that when ICE agents are allowed to arrest illegal immigrants “in the safety and security of the jail,” fewer agents are required for the arrest. “Now we have to arrest somebody on his turf who has access to who knows what weapons. Now we have to send the whole team out — cover the back door, cover the front door — officer safety reasons,” Homan observed of illegal immigrants released from jails and prisons by “sanctuary” policies. “Then, because of the hateful rhetoric and attacks on ICE officers, we have to send in a security team behind the arrest team. What could have been done by one person in the safety of the jail now we have 15 or 16 people out doing it,” he continued. “It means less agents on the street: more agents in the jail, less agents in the street. This is common-sense cooperation that allows us to draw down the number of people we have here.”

Homan further defended the Trump administration’s mass deportation project, thanking Walz, Ellison, and Frey for admitting that the U.S. does have federal immigration laws and that ICE is a legitimate federal agency with the authority to enforce those laws. “ICE is enforcing laws enacted by Congress under federal statute,” the Border Czar asserted. He did, however, acknowledge that ICE operations in Minneapolis have not been carried out “perfectly. Nothing is ever perfect. Anything can be improved.” He shared that ICE will be conducting “targeted” operations, with state and local law enforcement providing support and operating crowd control. He also rejected the notion that only illegal immigrants who have committed violent crimes would be arrested and deported. “Prioritization of criminal aliens does not mean we forget about everybody else. That is simply ridiculous.”

Turning to the controversy surrounding the two fatal shootings of anti-ICE agitators since the start of the new year, Homan pledged accountability. “ICE and CBP officers are performing their duties in a challenging environment under tremendous circumstances. If they don’t do it professionally, they will be dealt with like any other federal agency. We have standards of conduct,” the Border Czar said.

However, he also warned against the dehumanizing rhetoric Democrats have used against ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel. “These men and women are American patriots. They are mothers and fathers. They are sons and daughters. They don’t hang their heart on a hook every day when they come to work,” he stressed. “The hostile rhetoric and dangerous threats must stop. I begged for months for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March that this rhetoric would result in bloodshed — and there has been. I wish I wasn’t right.”

Agents on Leave

The most recent controversy surrounding federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis was the death of Alex Pretti, who was seen on video interfering with CBP and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents, resisting arrest, and being shot when it was discovered that he was armed. Breitbart News reported that the federal agents, one from CBP and one from USBP, who shot and killed Pretti have been placed on administrative leave, in compliance with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy, which also requires the agents to contact the Department’s mental wellness Employee Assistance Program (EAP). “This is standard practice; it has nothing to do with this shooting, just that these two agents were involved and fired their weapons. It’s to make sure they are doing okay,” an unnamed DHS source told Breitbart, emphasizing that the administrative leave is not a punishment.

Much debate has centered on Pretti’s death and DHS officials’ public responses. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem quickly classified Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” and pointed to his handgun and the multiple magazines he brought with him as evidence that he likely intended to harm federal law enforcement officers. Video footage has since surfaced in which Pretti, with a handgun in his waistband, is seen spitting at federal agents and smashing the taillight of a federal vehicle. Reports have suggested that Pretti was affiliated with an anti-ICE rapid response group and had been involved in previous physical altercations with federal law enforcement agents, including one incident a week before his death when one of his ribs was broken.

According to a Newsweek report, Pretti’s family have retained veteran attorney and former prosecutor Steve Schleicher. Notably, Schleicher assisted Ellison in prosecuting and convicting former Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officer Derek Chauvin of the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Schleicher has taken the Prettis’ case pro bono, reportedly to “protect the family’s interests,” according to a spokesman for the Prettis.

There’s Something about Kristi

Noem’s comments immediately after Pretti’s death ignited a firestorm, with Democrats and even some Republicans accusing the Homeland Security chief of mischaracterizing the situation or jumping to conclusions before any DHS investigation had been conducted. Over 160 Democrats in the House of Representatives have already signed on to articles of impeachment against Noem, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has called on the president to fire Noem, pledging impeachment proceedings if he doesn’t.

While the president has insisted that he will not dismiss Noem, RealClearPolitics reports that White House officials are already eyeing other potential candidates, including Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin, former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, and former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, now a member of the Government Accountability Institute. However, unnamed senior administration officials cited by RCP downplayed the idea of Noem’s departure, noting that dismissing her could be seen as a political win for Democrats and activists and that her replacement would face a contentious Senate confirmation process. Other officials suggested that Youngkin would be “too soft” for the president’s base, while Zeldin and Chaffetz lack the credentials to run the largest mass deportations program the U.S. has ever seen.

Bananas, Rice, and Arrests

In response to the rioting in Minneapolis, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has begun making arrests. The AG confirmed Wednesday that she is “on the ground” in Minnesota and has so far overseen the arrests of nearly 20 individuals, who have been accused of assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal law enforcement. One of those arrested was Nasra Ahmed, a 23-year-old woman of Somali heritage. Ahmed reportedly accosted federal agents who were attempting to apprehend two illegal immigrants, subsequently spitting on the law enforcement agents.

In a press conference following the incident with federal agents, Ahmed spoke of her Somali identity. “I’m Somali. I’m proud to be Somali. To me, being Somali isn’t just eating bananas with rice,” the woman said. “It’s a — it’s very hard to describe what [it] means to be Somali and what it means to be American, but it’s like a cultural fusion. It’s kind of like the bananas and rice, you know?” she continued. “People don’t really see, like … people don’t think, ‘Oh, you can eat bananas with rice,’ but that’s what it’s like to be Somali and American. It’s like that combination of banana and rice, but you’re gonna get what I mean.”

Another of those arrested was 25-year-old Christina Rank, who allegedly attempted to use her car to block ICE agents from entering a school parking lot, causing a collision.

Rising Resistance

While Democrats in Minnesota may be backing down, others are planning to ramp up efforts to impede ICE operations. Newly-sworn in New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill (D) announced that she and Attorney General Matt Platkin (D) have agreed not to cooperate with ICE, not to allow ICE agents access to state properties, and set up an online “portal” for Garden State residents to document and share ICE operations with one another. “If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out,” Sherrill insisted. The proposed program is similar to a series of Signal group chats used to coordinate anti-ICE protests and riots in Minnesota.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) shared at a press event Thursday that he and other Democratic mayors have been coordinating anti-ICE mobilization with each other. “We’ve been in regular communication both at the executive level and the staff level with cities like Minneapolis and Portland, Oakland, Boston, and Denver and Baltimore to learn from each other’s experiences and develop strategies to protect our constituents,” the Windy City mayor said. He relayed that he and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) were frequently in touch following the anti-ICE riots in L.A. that prompted the president to federalize the California National Guard and deploy U.S. Marines. Johnson also boasted of a policy similar to Sherrill’s, barring ICE from accessing state properties. “This executive order established what we call ICE-free zones, essentially prohibiting ICE and Border Patrol from staging on city properties and entering city properties without a judicial warrant.”

In New York City, Ugandan-born Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) has seemingly ordered the New York Police Department (NYPD) not to assist federal agents, even when agents are under threat. “The police have become much more accommodating under the new mayor,” a Rise and Resist activist said, following an incident where NYPD officers did not respond to anti-ICE demonstrators storming the lobby of a hotel where federal agents were reportedly housed. “It’s been much more relaxed,” the agitator said. According to The Post Millennial, another Rise and Resist meeting heard anti-ICE activists calling for more widespread mobilization against federal forces in New York and even referring to mass deportations as “ethnic cleansing.”