Trump Discusses Immigration Enforcement Approach After Minneapolis Incident

In a recent interview with NBC News, President Donald Trump acknowledged that his administration might need to employ a “softer touch” in its immigration enforcement operations. This statement follows an incident where federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month.

“I learned that maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough,” President Trump stated during a conversation with NBC’s “Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas in the Oval Office. He emphasized the need for toughness but acknowledged that some situations might require a different approach.

“We’re dealing with really hard criminals,” Trump noted. “But look, I’ve called the people. I’ve called the governor. I’ve called the mayor. Spoke to ‘em. Had great conversations with them. And then I see them ranting and raving out there. Literally as though a call wasn’t made.”

Trump’s conversation with Tom Llamas is set to air on “Nightly News” at 6:30 p.m. ET and will have extended coverage on NBC News NOW’s “Top Story” at 7 p.m. ET, with further discussions scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday on NBC.

The President’s comments come amid a longstanding dispute with Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Both have vocally opposed Trump’s immigration policies and criticized the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The administration had prematurely characterized Good and Pretti as domestic terrorists without evidence, which was later contradicted by video evidence of the incidents.

Trump’s recent comments highlight a change in his administration’s stance as public outrage grows over the killings. During a January 20 briefing, he acknowledged that federal agents “make mistakes sometimes.”

Earlier on the same day as the NBC interview, U.S. border czar Tom Homan announced the withdrawal of 700 federal immigration agents from Minnesota. When questioned by Llamas, Trump confirmed the decision was from his administration, though he implied external pressures influenced the move.

“But it didn’t come from me because I just wanted to do it,” Trump explained. “We have — we are waiting for them to release prisoners, give us the murderers that they’re holding and all of the bad people, drug dealers, all of the bad people.”

Trump reiterated a previous unfounded claim about the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., stating “We allowed in our country, I say, 25 million people with an open-border policy for four years under [President Joe] Biden…” However, Customs and Border Protection data indicate that approximately 7.4 million undocumented immigrants crossed the border during Biden’s administration.

Henry J. Gomez, a senior national political reporter for NBC News, contributed to this report.