More developments Monday as "Operation Metro Surge" continues in Minnesota, the Trump administration's massive crackdown on undocumented immigration.
On Truth Social, President Donald Trump said he spoke to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and called it "a good call," and that the two seemed to be on a similar wavelength, a critical moment for a state and city that has seen frequent clashes between federal agents and protests, along with three shootings, two of them fatal.
Mr. Trump writes that he told the governor they're looking for any and all criminals that they have in their possession, and the governor "very respectfully understood that."
Trump added that both were happy about having White House border czar Tom Homan come to Minnesota. Trump posted on social media earlier Monday he was sending Homan to the state to run all ICE operations, and adding in his last line of the post, "even in Minnesota crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better."
The office of Governor Walz also releasing a statement about the call, calling it "productive."
"The Governor made the case that we need impartial investigations of the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, and that we need to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota," according to the statement. "The President agreed that he would talk to his Department of Homeland Security about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case. The President also agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals. The Governor reminded President Trump that the Minnesota Department of Corrections already honors federal detainers by notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a person committed to its custody isn’t a U.S. citizen. There is not a single documented case of the department’s releasing someone from state prison without offering to ensure a smooth transfer of custody."
Meanwhile, a federal judge began hearing arguments Monday on whether she should halt, at least temporarily, the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has led to the fatal shootings of two people by government officers.
The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer. The shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer on Saturday added urgency to the case.
In other developments, President Donald Trump said he had a “very good” call with Minnesota Gov. Walz about the latest Minneapolis shooting and that they are now on a “similar wavelength.” It was an abrupt shift from Trump, who frequently derides Walz for his actions on immigration issues in Minnesota.
During arguments before U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, lawyers for the state and the Twin Cities argued that the situation on the street is so dire as to require the court to halt the federal government's immigration enforcement actions.
“If this is not stopped right here, right now, I don’t think anybody who is seriously looking at this problem can have much faith in how our republic is going to go in the future," Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter said.
The Justice Department's attorneys were set to speak later Monday.