Trump signals interest in easing tensions, but Minneapolis sees little
change on the streets
[January 29, 2026]
By STEVE KARNOWSKI, JACK BROOK and GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump seemed to signal a willingness
to ease tensions in Minneapolis after a second deadly shooting by
federal immigration agents, but there was little evidence Wednesday of
any significant changes following weeks of harsh rhetoric and clashes
with protesters.
The strain was evident when Trump made a leadership change by sending
his top border adviser to Minnesota to take charge of the immigration
crackdown. That was followed by seemingly conciliatory remarks about the
Democratic governor and mayor.
Trump said he and Gov. Tim Walz, whom he criticized for weeks, were on
“a similar wavelength” following a phone call. After a conversation with
Mayor Jacob Frey, the president praised the discussion and declared that
“lots of progress is being made.”
But on city streets, there were few signs of a shift. Immigration
enforcement operations and confrontations with activists continued
Wednesday in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
A group of protesters blew whistles and pointed out federal officers in
a vehicle on a north Minneapolis street. When the officers’ vehicle
moved, a small convoy of activists followed in their cars for a few
blocks until the officers stopped again.
When Associated Press journalists got out of their car to document the
encounter, officers with the federal Bureau of Prisons pushed one of
them, threatened them with arrest and told them to get back in their car
despite the reporters' identifying themselves as journalists. Officers
from multiple federal agencies have been involved in the enforcement
operations.
From their car, the AP journalists saw at least one person being pepper
sprayed and one detained, though it was unclear if that person was the
target of the operation or a protester. Agents also broke car windows.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is visiting Minnesota, said 16 people
were arrested Wednesday on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding
law enforcement in the state. She said more arrests were expected.
“NOTHING will stop President Trump and this Department of Justice from
enforcing the law," Bondi said in a social media post.
Messages seeking comment were left with Immigration and Customs
Enforcement and the Border Patrol.
Woman tells agents: 'They're good neighbors'
In the suburb of Brooklyn Center, a half a dozen agents went to a house
in a small residential neighborhood.
One agent knocked on the door repeatedly. Another told the AP they were
seeking a man who had been twice deported and was convicted of domestic
abuse. The agent said the man had run into the home and the agents
lacked a judicial warrant to get inside.
A handful of activists blew whistles. One agent said: “They’d rather
call the police on us than to help us. Go figure.”
As the agents prepared to leave, a woman called out to them saying, “You
need to know they’re good neighbors.”
Kari Rod told the AP that she didn’t know these neighbors well, but they
had come to her garage sale, kept their yard clean and waved hello when
she drove by. She didn’t believe enforcement agents to be speaking the
truth about whom they arrest, including another neighbor whom she said
was deported to Laos last summer.
“I don’t trust a single thing they said about who they are,” Rod said.
“From my interactions, I know them way better than anyone else does, any
one of those federal agents.”
Immigrants are ‘still very worried'
Many immigrant families are still fearful of leaving their homes, and
Latino businesses are still closed, said Daniel Hernandez, who owns the
Minneapolis grocery store Colonial Market. He also runs a popular
Facebook page geared toward informing the Hispanic community in the Twin
Cities.
While Colonial Market is open, all but one of the dozen immigrant-run
businesses that rented space inside have closed since late December, and
none has plans to reopen, Hernandez said.
“The reality is the community is still very worried and afraid,”
Hernandez said.
Hernandez referenced Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who helped
lead the administration's crackdown in the Twin Cities and who has
reportedly been assigned elsewhere.
Bovino "was removed, but the tactics so far are still the same,"
Hernandez said. “Nobody now is trusting the government with those
changes.”
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A federal officer approaches observers and journalists on Wednesday,
Jan. 28, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Judge warns ICE about not complying with court orders
In Minnesota federal court, the issue of ICE not complying with
court orders came to the fore as Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz said
the agency had violated 96 court orders in 74 cases this month.
“This list should give pause to anyone — no matter his or her
political beliefs — who cares about the rule of law,” he wrote. “ICE
has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some
federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
Schiltz earlier this week ordered ICE’s acting director to
personally appear in his courtroom Friday after the agency failed to
obey an order to release an Ecuadorian man from detention in Texas.
The judge canceled the order after the agency freed the man.
The judge, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, warned ICE
that future noncompliance may result in orders requiring the
personal appearances of Acting Director Todd Lyons or other
government officials.
ICE didn't respond to an email seeking comment.
Separately, another federal judge granted a temporary restraining
order preventing federal officers from arresting and detaining
resettled refugees in Minnesota. The order responded to a lawsuit
challenging a new Homeland Security operation to to reevaluate the
refugee status of the nearly 5,600 people.
The order called for the immediate release of refugees detained in
Minnesota and release within five days of those transferred to
Texas.
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller quickly slammed the
judge’s decision on social media: “The judicial sabotage of
democracy is unending.”
Nurse says Pretti ‘could have been any of us’
Hundreds gathered in the cold Wednesday night for a solemn vigil to
honor intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretti, who was killed by
immigration agents on Saturday. Some held candles and flowers as
people sang and a band played at the spot where he was killed.
Harmonie Pirius, a registered nurse, said she had been feeling
depressed, heartbroken and enraged and thought it would be good to
get together with other medical professionals.
“It could have been any of us,” she said. “I mean, he was trying to
help someone and that’s kind of what we’re all about.”
Earlier, Vietnam veteran Donnie McMillan placed a cardboard sign
reading “In remembrance of my angel” at a makeshift memorial for
Pretti. McMillan said he remembered seeing Pretti during frequent
visits to the Veterans Affairs hospital where he worked.
The Department of Homeland Security said two federal agents involved
in Pretti's death have been on leave since the shooting happened.
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, spoke to journalists one day after
a man attacked her during a town hall meeting by squirting a
strong-smelling substance at her as she denounced the Trump
administration.
“What is unfolding in our state is not accidental. It is part of a
coordinated effort to target Black and brown, immigrant and Muslim
communities through fear, racial profiling and intimidation," Omar
said. "This administration’s immigration agenda is not about law
enforcement — it is about making people feel they do not belong.”
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Associated Press journalists Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis, Mike
Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, Michael Biesecker in Washington,
Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Hannah Schoenbaum in
Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
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