Minnesota governor demands probe, troop reduction in meeting with border czar

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Minnesota Governor Tim Walz held a high-stakes meeting on Tuesday with Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's special envoy on border issues, to address the crisis stemming from federal immigration raids in the state. The Democratic governor presented firm demands for accountability and de-escalation following two fatal shootings of US citizens by federal agents.

Walz's Demands: Investigations and a Reduced Federal Footprint

According to a statement from the governor's office reported by FOX 9, Walz used the meeting to call for "impartial investigations" into the deadly shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents. He further demanded a significant drawdown of the federal law enforcement presence deployed to Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge. Walz explicitly requested that the Trump administration halt what he termed "the campaign of retribution against Minnesota." To formalize communication, he designated the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as the primary liaison to Homan's office to ensure follow-through on these objectives.

Federal Response and Conflicting Narratives

The meeting was arranged after President Trump announced on Monday that he was dispatching Homan, a former ICE acting director, to Minnesota to manage ongoing immigration operations. The White House stated Homan's mission is to oversee ICE activities "to continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens." President Trump offered a more conciliatory public take, saying Governor Walz had requested cooperation on criminal enforcement and that they "seemed to be on a similar wavelength." This contrasted with Trump's warning to Minnesota officials over the weekend to let ICE agents work unhindered, claiming the arrest of 12,000 undocumented criminals and cautioning that failure to cooperate would lead to "something far worse."

Ongoing Tensions and the Path Forward

Despite the agreed-upon "need for an ongoing dialogue," the meeting highlights the deep rift between state and federal authority. Governor Walz, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, has sued the Trump administration over the immigration crackdown. The governor's demands reflect intense political pressure to respond to public outrage over the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, which have ignited sustained protests. While the dialogue represents a potential channel for de-escalation, the fundamentally opposing views on immigration enforcement suggest the conflict between Minnesota's leadership and federal authorities is far from resolved.