Minnesota: Trump wants 'honorable' probe into Pretti killing

Facing nationwide backlash, Donald Trump described the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis as "very sad." Meanwhile, a planned visit by ICE members has stirred controversy in Italy. DW has more.

Here is our coverage surrounding the latest events in Minnesota on January 27, 2026:

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the removal of a five‑year‑old Ecuadorian boy and his father, whose arrest in Minnesota has intensified debate over US immigration enforcement.

Judge Fred Biery ordered that the boy and his father cannot be transferred or deported while their case moves forward.

The pair are being held at a family detention center in Dilley, Texas.

Their arrest drew outrage after neighbors and school officials claimed federal agents used the child to lure his mother to the door, a description Homeland Security calls “an abject lie.” The agency says the father fled and left the boy in a running vehicle.

Federal officials say the father was in the country illegally, while the family’s attorney maintains he had a pending asylum claim.

US President Donald Trump's administration will look "deescalate a little bit" when it comes to the situation in Minnesota, where two US citizens have been killed by federal agents, triggering protests. 

"I don't think it's a pullback, it's a little bit of a change," Trump told Fox News.

This comes after the president said he'd like to see a "very honorable and honest" investigation into the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, which he labeled "very sad."

Former US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske welcomed deployment of Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, to Minnesota. Homan was sent to take charge of the Minnesota immigration crackdown from Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.

"I worked with Tom for the years that I was at Customs and Border Protection," said Kerlikowske. "He understands the system."

The former commissioner said it was highly unusual for federal agents to block local authorities from a deadly force investigation, as reportedly happened in the case of Alex Pretti. Kerlikowske also said he now hoped for more communication between federal and state investigators.

Homan's role in Minneapolis, Kerlikowske said, should include meetings with the city's police chief, as well as state investigators and political leaders, which could help de-escalate tensions locally.

"I think Tom will be open to meeting with the Minneapolis police chief, who has an excellent reputation not only in Minneapolis, but across the country as the head of a large city police department. I think he'll meet with state investigative agents, and he'll meet with some political officials," said Kerlikowske.

"I think there will be a significant winding down and turning down of the temperature by the officials that are still in Minneapolis."

US President Donald Trump said he'd like to see a "very honorable and honest" investigation into the killing of protester Alex Pretti, who was shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

"I'm going to watch over it, and I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself," Trump said.

This represents a turnaround in Trump's approach towards the incident, after previously defending the federal agents and their operational methods. 

At the same time, even some Republican politicians pushed back on federal agents' tactics after the shooting, which was documented and widely shared on social media.

Pretti was the second US citizen to be killed by ICE's crackdown on immigration in Minnesota. 

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Members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency that has been carrying out raids in US cities, are set to travel to Italy and provide additional security to the US delegation during the Winter Olympics.

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the ICE agents' presence at the Winter Olympics was aimed at helping protect the US delegation and would not be patrolling the streets of Milan.

Former US President Joe Biden has sharply criticized the Trump administration's handling of federal immigration enforcement 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," the veteran Democrat posted on social media.

"We are not a nation that allows our citizens to be brutalized for exercising their constitutional rights." "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. Violence and terror have no place in the United States of America, especially when it’s our own government targeting American citizens," Biden said.

President Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, has arrived in Minnesota to take charge of federal immigration operations.

The Trump administration appears to be seeking a reset to its approach after national backlash over fatal shootings by federal agents.

Homan is replacing Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino in leading Operation Metro Surge, the broad immigration enforcement effort in Minneapolis and surrounding areas, a senior administration official confirmed.

After arriving in the state, Homan met Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat who ran for US vice president in 2024. 

"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," the governor's office announced.

"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 statement said.

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The shift follows the death of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal agents during enforcement actions earlier this month — the second fatal shooting of a US citizen in Minneapolis this year after the killing of Renee Good. Protesters and local leaders have sharply criticized federal tactics and are demanding accountability and changes to the operation.

In an apparent shift to a more conciliatory approach, Trump said he had "great calls" with Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Monday.

Hello readers, and thank you for joining us as we track developments related to the recent violence in Minneapolis.

President Donald Trump has dispatched border czar Tom Homan to take charge of federal immigration operations in the city.

Meanwhile, Gregory Bovino, the senior Border Patrol commander who had been overseeing the surge, is being moved out.