Trump doesn’t want anyone hurt or killed: White House after fatal ICE shooting in Minnesota | World News

While the White House said President Donald Trump did not want to see violence on US streets, he quickly blamed Democratic leaders for the unrest following the fatal shooting of a local citizen by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.

Speaking on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the killing of Alex Pretti as a “tragedy” and said, “No one in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people injured or killed on the streets of America.”

“We mourn for the parents. As a mother myself, of course I cannot imagine the loss of life,” she added.

Pretti, a critical care nurse, was shot and killed Saturday during an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. A Trump aide had previously labeled him a “domestic terrorist” without any evidence. Federal officials have since refused to release details supporting the agent’s claim that he acted in self-defense.

Leavitt’s conciliatory tone soon gave way to criticism of Democratic officials in Minnesota, where protests broke out after Trump’s increase in sanctions against immigrants. Masked and armed federal agents were deployed in Minneapolis despite objections from local officials.

“This tragedy occurred as a result of deliberate and hostile resistance from Democratic leaders in Minnesota,” Leavitt said, singling out Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. He accused Democrats of “spreading lies about federal law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets.”

Leavitt also defended the administration’s deportation campaign, insisting that the campaign maintains broad public support. “Americans overwhelmingly want exactly what President Trump wants: strong borders and tough immigration enforcement against the worst illegal aliens,” he said, claiming the poll showed “overwhelming support for exactly that thing.”

The remarks come amid increased scrutiny of ICE operations in Minnesota, where two U.S. citizens were killed during immigration enforcement activity. Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot on Jan. 7 during protests against what critics described as militarized federal crackdowns. Pretti was killed on January 24 after being restrained by federal officers and shot at point-blank range.

Trump defended ICE’s actions by suggesting Pretti may have been armed. Reports indicate that Pretti was legally licensed to carry a firearm but was already unarmed at the time of the shooting. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison dismissed the president’s claims, calling them “completely insane.”

Despite the rising tensions, Trump said he spoke with Governor Walz and described the conversation as constructive. Writing on the Truth Social platform, Trump said Walz “called me with a request to work together regarding Minnesota.”

“It was a very good conversation and we actually seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump wrote. The top border security official said he would send Tom Homan to Minnesota, to which Walz responded that he was “happy Tom Homan is going to Minnesota and so am I!”

Trump also noted successes in other cities. “We have had tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and just about everywhere else we have ‘touched,’” he said, adding that crime in Minnesota is “way down” even though both he and Walz want to “make it better.”

Legal challenges to the federal crackdown are currently ongoing. A separate federal hearing is scheduled to be held following a temporary restraining order barring agencies from destroying or altering evidence related to Pretti’s death, while a judge hears arguments on whether to temporarily halt immigration operations in Minnesota.

Democrats in Congress have warned they could withhold federal funding unless reforms to immigration enforcement are made as protests continue and criticism grows over the deployment of heavily armed federal agents in US cities.

(with ANI entries)