Will changes to ICE operations in Minneapolis be enough?
Left, Right & Center
KCRW
3.9 • 5K Ratings
🗓️ 30 January 2026
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Protests and skirmishes between Minnesota residents and federal agents are still ongoing after the second shooting of a US citizen in Minneapolis this month. Thirty-seven year old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents while filming immigration operations in the city. Following a weekend of inflammatory comments by DHS secretary Kristy Noem and other members of the Trump administration, the president has looked to turn the temperature down. He deployed ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to take command of operations in Minneapolis. The experienced immigration official acknowledged that “certain improvements could and should be made” to immigration enforcement in the area. But Homan insisted that more cooperation from state and local officials would be necessary before a reduction in federal presence.
It remains to be seen whether the tonal shift or any changes in operations will be effective in the Twin Cities region. The situation has raised concerns among Congress that legislative action may be necessary. Senate Democrats worked toward a deal with the White House to avoid a government shutdown over DHS funding. While some initial framework has been drawn up, the two sides will continue negotiating new guardrails for ICE and Border Patrol. Will Congress step up for a rare check of the Oval Office?
Plus, we’ll answer listener questions about where executive power and America’s position as a world leader stand after a tumultuous start to 2026.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to another left, right and center, everybody. |
| 0:03.8 | I'm David Green. |
| 0:04.9 | So I want to begin with this. |
| 0:06.9 | There is a distinct change in tone from the Trump administration as they address the reality that two people have now been killed by ICE agents in the city of Minneapolis. |
| 0:18.2 | President Trump and I, along with others in administration, have recognized that certain |
| 0:22.7 | improvements could and should be made. |
| 0:25.4 | That's exactly what I'm doing here. |
| 0:27.6 | The man who President Trump has sent there to Minneapolis and who we're hearing from is |
| 0:31.5 | Tom Homan, he's President Trump's borders are. |
| 0:34.7 | Certain improvements could and should be made, his words there. For one thing, |
| 0:40.6 | Homan said ICE would focus more from now on on targeting dangerous individuals, like people |
| 0:46.9 | in the country illegally already serving time for crimes in jails and prisons. Presumably, |
| 0:52.6 | that means fewer large-scale sweeps through neighborhoods. |
| 0:56.9 | Homan also said there will be a drawdown in ICE presence, |
| 1:00.7 | but what we have witnessed in Minneapolis so far cannot be undone or rolled back. |
| 1:06.5 | For the second time this month, Americans have been inundated with videos of a U.S. citizen killed while protesting federal immigration enforcement. |
| 1:15.3 | Border Patrol agents killed 37-year-old Alex Preti just two miles from where Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed earlier this month. |
| 1:22.6 | And here are some of the voices from people in Minneapolis over the past week. |
| 1:27.5 | This is crazy. And it's got to stop. And if Minnesota falls, everything falls. And I firmly |
| 1:33.5 | believe that. We're done as a nation. We've seen that this federal government is disregarding |
| 1:38.5 | the Constitution on a daily basis. You know, there's an illegal force attacking the citizens of this state right now |
| 1:45.9 | and other states. This is when we show our resolve as a city because we're better than this. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KCRW, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of KCRW and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.