Trump Says Mass Deportation Campaign Could Use ‘Softer Touch’ After Minneapolis Shootings

President Donald Trump admitted that his immigration enforcement efforts may need a “softer touch” following the two recent fatal shootings in Minneapolis.

Trump made the statement during a Wednesday interview with NBC News’ Tom Llamas, who asked what the president learned from the situation in Minneapolis.

“I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch,” Trump said. “But you still have to be tough. These are criminals. 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 him, had great conversations with him, and then I see them ranting and raving out there, literally, as though a call wasn’t made,” he said.

Tom @LlamasNBC: “Mr. President, speaking of Minneapolis, what did you learn?”

Trump: “I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough. These are criminals. We’re dealing with really hard criminals. But look, I’ve called the people.… pic.twitter.com/7316884uBM

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 4, 2026

Trump sent his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis last week to replace then-Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who was known for his aggressive and showy approach to immigration raids. Bovino has since returned to his role as the Border Patrol chief of the El Centro sector in California.

Homan took over the operation after the fatal shootings involving federal immigration agents of anti-ICE activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Homan has implemented a more targeted approach to enforcement by prioritizing the arrests of the worst criminals. While that’s the new focus in Minneapolis, the former ICE chief said during a press conference Wednesday that it doesn’t mean anyone whose sole crime is being in the country illegally is off the table.

Homan also announced a “draw down” of 700 federal immigration authorities from the Twin Cities following the brokering of a deal between an “unprecedented” number of local jurisdictions to allow ICE into jails.

“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets, unprecedented cooperation. And I’ll say it again, this is efficient, it requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target rather than eight or ten officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat,” Homan said.

“More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails, means less officers on the street doing criminal operations. This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement. This is safer for the community, safer for the officers, and safer for the alien,” he said.

The “draw down,” he said, doesn’t mean the Trump administration is “surrendering” its mass deportation campaign.