Majority of Americans View ICE as 'Out of Control,' Says Mitch Landrieu

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the actions by federal immigration agents demonstrate they don't have proper training for the mission and the majority of Americans views them as "out of control." Landrieu said that "systems of accountability" are important for ensuring trust in law enforcement as Democrats push for ICE agents to "unmask." The Department of Homeland Security will immediately pull 700 officers from Minneapolis, a reduction of about a quarter, amid efforts to deescalate tensions after federal agents killed two US citizens.

White House border czar Tom Homan, who President Donald Trump sent to Minneapolis as part of an effort to ease pressure amid local outrage, emphasized a shift to more targeted enforcement after a surge of immigration agents sparked widespread protests. Homan also said cooperation with local authorities to detain immigrants with criminal records had improved. About 2,000 federal immigration agents will remain, down from the peak of the operation but still much higher than the roughly 150 officers that would be normal, Homan told reporters Wednesday.

“This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement,” Homan said. “It’s safer for the community, safer for the officers and safer for the alien.”

The drawdown marks a partial retreat following a national uproar over tactics in Minnesota after Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents killed two US citizens during enforcement operations. Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was fatally shot during a Border Patrol operation in January, weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a mother of three.

Trump is reducing the federal presence in the face of outrage around the country in the wake of the killings. According to a Quinnipiac University poll, 61% of voters think his administration “has not given an honest account” of Pretti’s shooting. Some 63% disapprove of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws, although views are split along party lines with 77% Republican approval.

The White House posted a defiant message on social media, declaring “we are NOT SURRENDERING the president’s mission on a mass deportation operation.” Still, when NBC News asked Trump about Minneapolis in an interview, he said, “I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough.”

Residents monitoring ICE operations continued to share reports of federal agents spotted in the area Wednesday morning, including in neighborhoods and at local businesses.

But Homan said the tactical pivot would reduce the need for large teams of officers on the ground. The government will rely more on taking custody of detainees inside jails rather than making arrests in the community, he said.

With that approach, it requires only one or two agents to assume custody rather than eight or 10 agents on the street, said Homan, who replaced Greg Bovino, the US Border Patrol commander whose tactics fueled the backlash. That frees up personnel for other enforcement priorities.

Homan also emphasized that local jails aren’t being asked to hold people beyond their scheduled release times or to carry out immigration enforcement themselves.

“They don’t hold them one minute past they normally would,” he said, adding that state prisons in Minnesota are already cooperating with federal authorities and that DHS plans to expand those arrangements.

As part of the overhaul, Customs and Border Protection personnel have been fully integrated into ICE-led operations under a single chain of command, Homan said. In addition, DHS is accelerating the deployment of body-worn cameras in Minneapolis after identifying inconsistent use among agents.

“That inconsistency was unacceptable,” he said, adding that the move has Trump’s support. “We have nothing to hide.”

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