Trump Discusses Immigration Policy After Controversial Incident

In a recent interview with NBC News, President Donald Trump expressed that his administration may need to adopt “a softer touch” in its approach to immigration enforcement. This statement came in response to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.

During an Oval Office conversation with Tom Llamas, anchor of NBC’s “Nightly News,” Trump acknowledged that while a gentler approach might be necessary, toughness is still essential. He remarked, “We’re dealing with really hard criminals. But look, I’ve called the people. I’ve called the governor. I’ve called the mayor. Spoke to ‘em. Had great conversations with them.” Despite these efforts, Trump noted that criticisms from these officials persisted, seemingly as though “a call wasn’t made.”

This interview will be aired on “Nightly News” at 6:30 p.m. ET, with an extended version on NBC News NOW’s “Top Story” at 7 p.m. ET, and additional coverage on Super Bowl Sunday on NBC.

The president has been embroiled in a conflict with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats, over his stringent immigration policies and the recent tragic shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both aged 37. Trump and Vice President JD Vance initially attributed these incidents to Good and Pretti, labeling them as domestic terrorists without supporting evidence. However, video evidence later contradicted claims made by Trump and others, suggesting that the shootings were unjustified.

On January 20, during a White House briefing, Trump talked about the incident, acknowledging that mistakes can occur. Later, earlier this week, Tom Homan, the U.S. border czar, proclaimed that 700 federal immigration agents were being withdrawn from Minnesota. When questioned by Llamas if this decision was Trump’s, he confirmed it, explaining, “But it didn’t come from me because I just wanted to do it.”

Trump emphasized that his interest lies in securing the release of prisoners and deporting criminals and drug dealers. He accused the previous administration of allowing approximately 25 million undocumented immigrants to enter the country, a claim he has repeatedly made but lacks factual backing. Customs and Border Protection actually documented 7.4 million undocumented immigrants crossing the border during the Biden administration.

Henry J. Gomez, a senior national political reporter, contributed to this coverage for NBC News.