Border enforcer to exit Minnesota as US prez seeks damage control

Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, met with Minnesota governor Tim Walz on Tuesday after taking over the president’s sweeping immigration operation in Minneapolis, as the White House tries to tamp down outrage over the second fatal shooting of a US citizen this month by federal agents.In a statement reported by CNN, Walz said he had outlined the state’s priorities to Homan, including impartial investigations into the two shootings and reducing the 3,000-strong force of federal agents that has been deployed to the city. Homan and Walz agreed to “continue working toward those goals,” the governor said.The move to install Homan in place of top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who sources said is leaving after having led most of Trump’s crackdowns in Democratic-led cities, is part of a broader reset by the president amid some advisers’ concerns that the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents could derail his immigration agenda.

Homan’s job in Minneapolis is to “recalibrate tactics” and improve cooperation with state and local officials, a source ties to White House said.Calling the incident “unfortunate”, Trump rejected the “assassin” label used by a top aide to describe a Minnesota shooting victim. “That being said, you can’t have guns, you can’t walk in with guns, you can’t do that, but it’s a very unfortunate incident,” he said, referring to licensed gun owner Pretti carrying a firearm that was taken off him before he was shot.

Trump held a two-hour meeting with homeland security secretary Kristi Noem on Monday evening, a source briefed on the matter confirmed.Late on Monday, Minnesota’s chief federal judge threatened to hold the acting head of US immigration and customs enforcement, Todd Lyons, in contempt for his agency’s failures to comply with court orders that some detainees receive bond hearings.The typically combative Trump has also struck a more conciliatory tone in public remarks. Governor Walz said Trump had agreed for state authorities could conduct their own probe into the shooting, while mayor Frey said that his understanding was that some federal agents would begin leaving the city Tuesday.