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ICE thaw? White House softens tone after Minneapolis killings outrage

Some federal agents will start leaving Minneapolis following White House talks with the state’s governor and city mayor

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Gunshot damage in a window pane near a makeshift memorial for Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Photo: AFP
Agence France-Presse

US President Donald Trump sent his top border enforcer to Minneapolis on Monday and struck a conciliatory note in a bid to tamp down nationwide outrage over the second killing of a US citizen protesting militarised immigration raids this month.

The White House was scrambling as video of the latest shooting went viral, prompting street protests, criticism from former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and, increasingly, from within Trump’s Republican Party.

Trump said Tom Homan, his point man for border security, “will report directly to me”.

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Homan’s new role appears to acknowledge the administration has run into political damage, with polls showing a majority of Americans disapprove of the often brutal crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Outcry after ICE killing of another US citizen

Outcry after ICE killing of another US citizen

In a marked change of tone, Trump said he held a “very good” talk with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat whom he has repeatedly accused of corruption.

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