Star Metro - Trump's new Minneapolis point man vows 'smarter' operation

The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.

Tom Homan vowed at a press conference in Minneapolis to press on with the immigration crackdown in the city, but said more cooperation could lead to a reduction in the number of federal agents there.

"We are not surrendering our mission at all. We're just doing it smarter," Homan said. "President Trump wants this fixed. And I'm going to fix it."

Minneapolis has been gripped by weeks of demonstrations against the roundup of undocumented migrants by masked and heavily armed federal agents.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, speaking to a conference of US mayors in Washington on Thursday, likened it to an "invasion."

"People's constitutional rights have been trampled," he said. "Discrimination takes place only on the basis of 'Are you Somali?' 'Are you Latino?' or 'Are you Southeast Asian?'"

"It's not how we operate in America."

Trump held a cabinet meeting on Thursday but the Minnesota unrest did not come up while reporters were in the room, and the Republican president did not call on Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem while going around the table.

Trump sent Homan to Minnesota to take control of immigration operations there with orders to report directly to him, effectively sidelining Noem.

The political battle has landed in Congress, with a potential government funding shutdown looming after Senate Democrats rejected a procedural vote to express anger over the killing of the two protesters in Minnesota.

Democrats had vowed to block the measure unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security is renegotiated to include guardrails on ICE.

- 'Improvements' needed -

Homan struck a conciliatory tone at his first press conference, a marked difference from the Border Patrol commander who previously headed the mission and has been removed.

"Community safety is paramount," Homan said. "President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made."

The border chief urged Minnesotans to avoid "hateful rhetoric" against federal immigration officers.

Homan said his staff was "working on a drawdown plan" for some of the more than 3,000 federal agents who have been taking part in "Operation Metro Surge."

Increased cooperation from Minnesota authorities is key, he said.

One such measure, for example, would be notifying ICE agents about the release dates of incarcerated migrants considered "criminal public safety risks" so they can be detained by the agency, he said.

"This is commonsense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here."

Steven Gagner, a 41-year-old jewelry designer and "citizen observer" in Minneapolis, was skeptical about the drawdown.

"This administration has proven time and time again that they just lie to us and they do not really hold themselves or anyone else accountable," he told AFP.

- Conduct warning -

Homan declined to comment on Pretti's shooting saying he would "let the investigation play out."

The two agents involved in Saturday's shooting have been placed on leave, and Homan said any federal agents who breach standards of conduct "will be dealt with."

Trump has scrambled to stem outrage over the killings of Good and Pretti, saying earlier this week that he wanted to "de-escalate a little bit" in Minneapolis.

But the Republican president has not let up on his attacks on Somali-born Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, even going so far as to suggest she may have staged an attack on Tuesday, when a man sprayed her with a liquid while she gave a speech.

The man, Anthony Kazmierczak, faces state and federal assault charges for using a syringe to spray what appeared to be apple cider and vinegar on the Democratic representative.

Y.Walker--SMC