Minneapolis killing puts Trump immigration crackdown under fire

US President Donald Trumps border czar Tom Homan was set Thursday to present his plans at his first press conference as the new face of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis after the agents involved in the fatal shooting of a nurse were placed on leaveThe two officers were on leave a move US officials said was standard protocol since Saturday when 37yearold Alex Pretti was shot multiple times after being forced to the ground by camouflaged agents in a scuffle captured on videoTrump has scrambled to stem outrage across the political aisle over the killing saying Tuesday he wanted to deescalate a little bit in MinneapolisBut the president backpedaled his conciliatory note Wednesday accusing the citys mayor Jacob Frey of PLAYING WITH FIRE for refusing to rally local police to enforce the federal immigration crackdownThe political battle could soon move to Congress where Democrats are threatening to hold up authorization for swaths of US government funding if reforms are not made to rein in the sprawling militarystyle immigration agenciesFrey responded Wednesday to Trump ramping up his rhetoric writing on X The job of our police is to keep people safe not enforce fed immigration lawsI want them preventing homicides not hunting down a working dad he added referring to the Ecuadoran father of fiveyearold Liam Conejo Ramos both of whom are being held in a Texas facility after being detained by federal agents in the suburbs of MinneapolisThe White House initially justified Saturdays fatal shooting of Pretti an intensive care nurse whom Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem described as a domestic terroristBut the backlash that ensued has forced Trump to shuffle the leadership of immigration agents deployed in MinneapolisHe replaced the confrontational Greg Bovino known for reveling in aggressive televised immigration crackdowns with the policyfocused HomanHoman was set to hold a press conference at 7 am 1300 GMT Thursday in Minneapolis the White House saidAnother highranking official Attorney General Pam Bondi was in Minneapolis on Wednesday as she announced the arrests of 16 Minnesota rioters for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcementFuryWhile the White House insists it is targeting hardened criminals the use of masked heavily armed men to snatch people from streets homes and workplaces has caused widespread shockThat turned to fury this month after immigration agents shot dead two Minneapolis protesters at pointblank range in separate incidents Pretti and Renee Good both US citizensTop Trump aide Stephen Miller initially justified Prettis killing by branding him a wouldbe assassin despite video evidence clearly showing the nurse posed no threat as he was shot in the back while pinned down on the groundLate Tuesday Miller said the Customs and Border Patrol agents who killed Pretti may not have been following that protocolMeanwhile US networks aired video reportedly showing Pretti in another violent scuffle with agents more than a week before his killing The footage could not be immediately verifiedClashes between protesters and federal immigration officers who are deployed to Democratic cities are increasingly commonIn Minneapolis 39yearold community activist Jennifer Arnold said little has changed since Trumps promise to ease tensions in the cityThe Trump administration is saying that theyre going to change tacticsbut we are not experiencing anything different on the ground people are still being snatched off the streets Arnold told AFPImmigrant politician attackedTrumps focus on Minnesota is linked to a probe into alleged corruption by Somali immigrants in the state which he and rightwing allies have amplified as an example of what they say is a fight against criminal immigrantsThe president has persistently targeted Somaliborn congresswoman Ilhan Omar for insults and mockery saying she should be sent back to SomaliaIn the latest sign of a deteriorating political climate a man sprayed Omar with an unknown liquid while she was giving a speech late Tuesday before being tackled by securityThe suspect 55yearold Anthony Kazmierczak was arrested on suspicion of assaultSpeaking to reporters in Minneapolis Wednesday evening Omar said Trumps attacks against her helped fuel the incidentI wouldnt be where I am at today having to pay for security having the government to think about providing me security if Donald Trump wasnt in office and if he wasnt so obsessed with me Omar saidShe added however that such intimidation hasnt worked thus far and its not going to work in the futureThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever