The US president tells the Department of Homeland Security not to intervene in protests in Democratic-run cities unless they seek federal assistance.
US President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) not to become involved in protests in Democratic-run cities unless they seek federal assistance.
Saturday’s announcement followed weeks of protests sparked by the massive deployment of Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the city of Minneapolis and the killing of two Americans by federal agents there.
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Republican President Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he had instructed Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem not to participate in protests in Democratic-run cities “under any circumstances unless and until we are asked to assist.”
However, ICE and Border Patrol will act aggressively to protect federal buildings, he wrote.
“You don’t spit in the face of a police officer, you don’t punch or kick a car’s headlights, you don’t throw rocks or bricks at cars or patriotic fighters. If they did, those people would suffer the same or even worse consequences,” he said.
“We will not allow our courthouses, federal buildings, or anything else under our protection to be damaged in any way,” he added.
DHS and Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
President Trump launched an immigration crackdown last year targeting Democratic-led states and cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, arguing that military operations were needed to rid the United States of criminals.
The crackdown in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s largest city, is the largest federal immigration crackdown ever carried out, with about 3,000 agents deployed, federal officials said. The operation began in November and authorities have linked it in part to suspected fraud involving ethnic Somalis.
The surge has put city and state officials at odds with the federal government, led to daily clashes between activists and immigration officials, and led to the killings of Alex Preti on January 14 and Renee Good on January 7 by federal agents who allegedly responded to threats. However, bystander video and witness testimony contradict these claims.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Minneapolis and other U.S. cities on Friday to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and others have also challenged the state’s surge in immigration enforcement, arguing that DHS is violating constitutional protections.
But a federal judge said he would not halt enforcement activity as the case progresses. A Justice Department lawyer called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”
Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapallo, reporting from Minnesota, said President Trump’s latest announcement signals a softening of the White House’s stance on immigration enforcement.
He noted that this follows the Trump administration’s decision to replace Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol’s senior commander who was leading the crackdown in Minneapolis, with Border Patrol Chief Tom Homan.
The official said Thursday that federal agents will move away from intense street cleaning in the city and focus on targeted operations in the city, and will reduce the number of agents sent to the city if they get “cooperation” from state and local leaders.
“All of this points to more cooperation between local and federal authorities, and there’s a little bit of optimism that tensions may be starting to calm down in the city,” Rapallo said.
“But that doesn’t mean the riots are over. Rather, what we’re hearing from protesters here is that without a complete withdrawal of federal troops, these protests that we see on a daily basis will not end,” he added.
