NPR | Tuesday, January 25, 2026 
Amid lawsuits and protests, Trump sends border czar to Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — After “very good” phone calls with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Monday, President Trump announced that border czar Tom Homan will be heading to the midwestern state to lead federal immigration enforcement efforts there. The surge of agents to Minneapolis has resulted in waves of protest, legal action, and political backlash against the Trump administration, especially after the shooting deaths of two American citizens, Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of federal immigration agents. In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio‘s Clay Masters on Monday, Gov. Walz described a “more collaborative tone” from Trump, and said the president agreed to consider reducing the number of federal immigration agents in the Twin Cities. He further confirmed that Gregory Bovino, the bombastic and controversial Border Patrol chief leading the surge, will soon leave the state. Bovino’s exit may help to turn down the temperature of protests in Minneapolis, which have been peaceful but fraught in the days since Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot by CBP officers. Bovino repeatedly defended the actions of his officers, saying without evidence that Pretti intended to “massacre” federal agents, and that he “assaulted” them. The video evidence and eyewitness accounts that have surfaced so far contradict that assertion. The Trump administration has not provided evidence to support Bovino’s claims…Read more