Tom Homan, U.S. President Donald Trump’s border czar, said Thursday he was working to restore law and order, noting the president recognized the need for improvements in immigration operations following the chaos in Minneapolis after two protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal agents this month. He promised that anyone who breaks the rules of conduct will be “dealt with”.
“I have been on the ground since Monday to restore law and order to a city that many love and to work together to eliminate threats from the community,” Homan told a news conference, marking his first comments since Trump sent him to Minnesota’s largest city, according to AFP.
Homan told reporters that in his discussions in Minneapolis, everyone he spoke with agreed that community safety was the top priority.
“President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that some improvements could and should be made. That’s exactly what I’m doing here,” he said. He said federal agents try to act professionally, adding: “If they don’t, they will be treated like any other federal agency. We have standards of conduct.”
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Homan also said he plans to reduce the 3,000-strong contingent of agents sent to the city after what he described as productive meetings with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other local officials, according to Reuters.
He added: “We can do better” and said the discussions had led to “significant gains, significant coordination and cooperation” and that people would soon see “some massive changes happening here in this city.”
Riots in Minneapolis
Tensions rose after Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot behind the wheel of her car by an ICE agent on Jan. 7, an event that sparked demonstrations in the Twin Cities and other communities across the country.
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Public anger grew further after Saturday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti during a separate meeting between immigration agents and people who confronted them to document and protest ICE activity.
In both cases, Trump administration officials immediately defended the federal agents involved in the shootings, denouncing Good and Pretti as “domestic terrorists” who they said were threatening to harm law enforcement.
Several videos of the two incidents, which have since gone viral online, reportedly contradict the notion that either Good or Pretti posed a danger to immigration officials or others.
Some administration officials were quick to claim that Pretti intended to “massacre” the officers and pointed to the pistol he was carrying. However, video reviewed by Reuters showed Pretti holding only his phone when Border Patrol agents tackled him to the ground.
Pretti was legally allowed to carry a firearm. The footage also captured the agent retrieving Pretti’s gun from his waistband just seconds before another agent shot him in the back while he was being restrained.
