US President Donald Trump says that he'll "de-escalate a little bit" in Minnesota, describing his position as not "a pullback, it's a little bit of change"
In an interview with Fox News, Trump says the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti were terrible - but adds Good may have been "radicalised"
Earlier, Democratic House leaders threatened to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the immigration crackdown if Trump doesn't fire her - In the Fox interview, Trump praises the work she did on the US border
The truth is that impeaching Noem could be next to impossible, writes our North America correspondent
Trump's "border tsar" Tom Homan has now arrived in Minneapolis to take over on-the-ground operations - who is he and what is his job?
Earlier, a Minnesota judge ordered acting ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court on Friday, saying the agency's violations of court orders is 'extraordinary'
Still speaking to Fox News' Will Cain, Trump says both recent killings in Minneapolis by federal agents - of Renee Good and Alex Pretti - were "terrible".
He praises Good's Trump-supporting parents, adding that Good may have been "radicalised".
"I hate to see that," he says.
Trump is talking to Fox News ahead of his speech in Iowa.
Asked about the situation in Minneapolis, he says crime numbers are "good" because the ongoing immigration operations there took "hardened criminals" off the streets.
He notes that White House "border tsar" Tom Homan is there now meeting with local officials.
"We're going to de-escalate a little bit," he says.
Ana Faguy
Reporting from Minnesota
Image source, BBC/Ana FaguyI was just chatting with a waitress at a restaurant in Elk River, Minnesota.
I asked her how people in this town - some 25 miles outside Minneapolis - view the immigration crackdown.
It's a conservative part of the state, compared to the liberal enclave of the Twin Cities - where Minneapolis and St. Paul are located.
She said there are people here who back Trump’s effort but they’re trepidatious to speak out. "It's difficult for a lot of us here, there's a lot of chaos in the world and in the city," she said, referring to Minneapolis.
Speaking more to press and supporters in Iowa, Trump is asked whether he agrees with others in his administration that Alex Pretti was a "domestic terrorist".
"I haven't heard that," he says, adding "I don't like that he had a gun".
But he said despite the gun, Pretti's killing in Minneapolis on Saturday was a "very unfortunate incident".
For context: In the footage of ICE agents' confrontation with Pretti before he was shot and killed, an immigration agent can be seen removing something from Pretti's waist before the agent is shown holding what appears to be a pistol. Police have said Pretti was a legal gun owner.
Videos examined by BBC Verify show Pretti was holding a phone as he filmed agents, and he was visibly not holding a gun in his hands.
Image source, Getty ImagesTrump is speaking to a group of reporters and supporters before he takes the stage for a planned speech in Iowa.
Asked why he decided to shake up his leadership team in Minnesota, Trump says "I do that all the time. I shake teams up."
Trump has sent Border Tsar Tom Homan to Minnesota and is sending Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino elsewhere.
"Everybody here - there's a lot of owners of farms and places, and you shake up your team if they can't do the crops fast enough," he says.
He adds "we have an incredible team".
Image source, Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has just begun speaking to a crowd of supporters, before taking the stage in Iowa. A large banner reading "Lower prices, bigger paychecks" hangs above the stage.
Trump's speech at the planned event will focus on the economy and his promises to make life more affordable for Americans.
We'll let you know if he says anything about Minneapolis or immigration enforcement.
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, Getty ImagesMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says he has met with "border tsar" Tom Homan who has been dispatched by Trump to Minnesota following two fatal shootings of Americans by federal immigration agents.
Frey says they had "a productive conversation" in which he stressed his main demand for the federal surge of officers in the city to "end as quickly as possible."
"I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers," he says. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara was also part of the meeting.
"I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe."
As a reminder: Trump has demanded Minnesota's local and state officials assist federal agents in immigration enforcement.
Asked earlier while leaving the White House for Iowa if Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would step down over escalating tensions Minneapolis, Trump immediately replied, "no".
Earlier we reported Trump said he had confidence in Noem, who he said had done "a very good job" in her role.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other House Democratic leaders are calling on President Trump to fire Noem over the way in which the immigration crackdown has been carried out or say they will try to impeach her.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has landed in the state of Iowa, where he is set to give a speech soon.
Trump's speech will largely focus on the economy, but we will be listening for any lines he might add concerning Minnesota or immigration enforcement efforts.
Image source, EPAPresident Donald Trump has distanced himself from senior adviser Stephen Miller's description of Alex Pretti as a "would-be assassin", refusing to repeat the claim when asked.
Speaking to press outside the White House earlier today, Trump replied "no" when asked whether he thought Pretti was "acting as an assassin".
Videos examined by BBC Verify show Pretti was holding a phone as he filmed agents, and he was visibly not holding a gun in his hands.
In the footage of ICE agents' confrontation with Pretti before he was shot and killed, an immigration agent can be seen removing something from Pretti's waist before the agent is shown holding what appears to be a pistol. Police have said Pretti was a legal gun owner.
Trump followed his answer by saying, "but that being said, you can't have guns... You can’t walk in with guns, you can’t do that", possibly referring to people having a weapon at a protest.
He was asked about the Second Amendment, the US constitutional right to keep and bear arms, but did not directly answer.
Sakshi Venkatraman
US reporter
We're covering several different developments related to the situation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where on Saturday, US Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old US citizen Alex Pretti.
Here's what has happened so far:
Image source, Maja Hitij/Getty ImagesPreparations are underway in Milan for the Winter Olympics 2026
Dismay stemming from the reputation of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has crossed the Atlantic ahead of this year's Winter Olympics.
The games will be held in Italy this year, starting on 6 February. One notable difference from previous Winter Olympics is that the US will be sending ICE agents.
Confirmation of the agency's role came from the agency itself, after reports prompted alarm and anger in Italy.
"This is a militia that kills... of course they're not welcome in Milan," the city's mayor, Beppe Sala, told Italian radio on Tuesday.
An ICE spokesperson stressed that "all security operations remain under Italian authority".
US embassy sources in Rome had already told Italian media that various federal agencies had worked at previous Games, although it was not clear whether the customs and enforcement agency had itself taken part.
The agency's statement on Tuesday explained that "ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is supporting the US Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations".
It would "obviously" not conduct immigration enforcement operations outside the US, it said.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives are threatening to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if Donald Trump does not remove her from her position.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” they said in a press statement.
The truth is that the easy way is unlikely, and the hard way is next to impossible.
Trump has said he stands by Noem - and he is typically reluctant to fire senior officials under pressure from critics. Meanwhile, Democrats are a minority in the House, albeit only narrowly. Unless they can convince at least a handful of Republicans to side with them, an impeachment vote will fail. And even if they succeed, there aren’t nearly enough votes in the Senate to convict and remove Noem.
This is, then, a performative move for House Democrats – a way to generate media attention and, perhaps, force Republicans to go on record in support of Noem, whose claims that Alex Pretti “attacked” immigration officers and was “brandishing” a firearm prior to his death were quickly disproven by video evidence.
Noem, as head of the Department of Homeland Security, is in part responsible for immigration enforcement policies that public-opinion polls indicate are becoming increasingly unpopular.
Those policies, of course, ultimately come from Trump and senior White House staff like Stephen Miller. But with the White House distancing itself from Noem and removing the Minnesota enforcement operations from her direct oversight, Democrats may sense that she is particularly vulnerable.
Image source, Getty ImagesTom Homan
President Donald Trump's "border tsar", Tom Homan, will begin leading on-the-ground immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota effective today.
Trump's decision may indicate the administration's interest in walking back more aggressive federal action in his nationwide immigration crackdown.
But who is he and what is his job?
Homan, 64, started his career as a US Border Patrol agent, then moved to ICE when it was created in 2003.
He headed up ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations arm during the Obama administration, where he was associated with policies that split up families.
Homan stayed at ICE during Trump's first term and was eventually appointed as the president's border tsar.
“I will run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen,” Homan said in 2024.
Unlike US Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, Homan will report directly to the president.
He has long been an advocate for the aggressive immigration enforcement pushed by the Trump administration. But he also has longer-term experience in the role, and he is seen by some as a more moderate figure than others in the administration.
Image source, ReutersDemocratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other House Democratic leaders are calling on President Trump to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the way in which the immigration crackdown in Minnesota has been carried out.
Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar say in a joint statement the country is "disgusted" by her department's actions.
And if Trump doesn't fire her, Democrats will begin the process to impeach her.
Democrats, who are in the minority in the House, do not have the votes to bring impeachment proceedings without Republican support.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," the leaders say.
Image source, ReutersMinnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he's seen no increased cooperation from federal officials with local authorities, despite Donald Trump's comments pledging the two entities would work together over ICE operations in the state.
Speaking to MS Now programme Morning Joe, Ellison says it is a "good thing" conversations are happening between Trump and Minnesota governor Tim Walz, and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, but adds "we're in a situation where they've [federal authorities] got to show, not just say".
"Hopefully Trump will get rid of Operation Metro Surge right away," he says.
Minnesota currently has two legal suits out against ICE, seeking to restrain the agency from operating in the state, and ensuring the preservation of evidence in the investigation of the death of Alex Pretti.
Ellison says that, despite the news of the departure of ICE official Gregory Bovino from the state and other signs of a walk-back, the lawsuits will continue.
"We need to get some law on the books, because even if they do stop the surge, they can resurge," he says.
Ellison says he wants the programme's audience to know there's no legal bar to prosecute anyone who commits a crime in the state, "including a federal official".
Image source, Getty ImagesSpeaking to the press as he exits the White House on his way to a speech in Iowa, President Trump calls the recent events in Minneapolis a "very sad situation".
Asked whether the killing of Alex Pretti at the hands of a Border Patrol agent was justified, he says there's an ongoing investigation and he wants it to be an "honest one".
Trump says he has confidence in Kristi Noem, who he believes has done "a very good job" as Homeland Security Secretary.
"Border tsar" Tom Homan is now in Minneapolis, and his talks with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are "going nicely", Trump adds.
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer US President Joe Biden has commented on the immigration operation and shootings in Minneapolis.
"What has unfolded in Minneapolis this past month betrays our most basic values as Americans. We are not a nation that guns down our citizens in the street. We are not a nation that allows our citizens to be brutalized for exercising their constitutional rights," he says in a social media post.
"The people of Minnesota have stood strong — helping community members in unimaginable circumstances, speaking out against injustice when they see it, and holding our government accountable to the people. Minnesotans have reminded us all what it is to be American, and they have suffered enough at the hands of this Administration," the former president says.
"No single person can destroy what America stands for and believes in, not even a President, if we — all of America — stand up and speak out. We know who we are. It's time to show the world. More importantly, it's time to show ourselves," he adds.
He ends the post calling for "full, fair and transparent" investigations into the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, saying he and his wife Jill Biden are sending condolences to their families.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has met Trump's border tsar Tom Homan, who arrived in the state today.
"Governor Walz met with Tom Homan this morning and reiterated Minnesota’s priorities: impartial investigations into the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, a swift, significant reduction in the number of federal forces in Minnesota, and an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota," a spokesperson from Walz's office said.
"The Governor and Homan agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue and will continue working toward those goals, which the President also agreed to yesterday. The Governor tasked the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as the primary liaison to Homan to ensure these goals are met."
Ahmed Adan
BBC World Service
Image source, Ahmed Adan/BBCThe co-CEO of El Burrito Mercado, a Mexican marketplace in St Paul, Minnesota, says she may have to close the business her parents started in 1979.
Melissa Silva tells the BBC World Business Report that she has "seen things slowly take a decline" following "an influx" of ICE agents.
"Things got very difficult," she says. "We are short-staffed. Even today, the restaurant is closed because I don’t have enough staff."
When asked why she has limited staff, Melissa responds: "Everybody is terrified."
She says that none of her family, who are all US citizens, are going out. She adds: "People not going out has nothing to do with documentation."
Melissa adds that she "loves how Minnesotans are showing up" but hates not seeing her regular customers: "I hate that I don’t see Latinos here.”
If things don't improve, she says, her family will have "no choice but to close" and leave St Paul.