Donald Trump’s administration has begun pulling hundreds of ICE agents out of Minnesota after weeks of anger, protests, and growing political pressure. The move comes as the president faces a steady slide in public support and rising concern over his aggressive immigration policies.
Tom Homan, the official leading Trump’s border and immigration enforcement efforts, said around 700 ICE agents will be withdrawn from the state. That is a sizeable reduction, considering roughly 3,000 armed federal agents had been sent in during the recent operation. Their sudden presence alarmed many residents and officials, who said communities felt overwhelmed and frightened by the scale and show of force.
Homan explained that the pullback followed an agreement with local county jails. Under the new arrangement, people considered serious threats to public safety will be transferred directly from jail to ICE custody instead of being released. He claimed this approach makes large street operations unnecessary and reduces the need for agents going door to door or conducting patrols in neighborhoods.
At a press conference in Minneapolis, Homan stressed that this change should not be mistaken for a shift in the administration’s broader goals. He said Trump remains fully committed to mass deportations and that immigration enforcement will continue nationwide without pause. According to him, the strategy is changing, not the mission.
Local leaders were far less convinced by that explanation. Many had already condemned the influx of federal agents, calling it an “invasion” rather than a legitimate law enforcement action. They argued that the operation appeared designed to intimidate immigrant communities and create fear, rather than genuinely improve safety. Some officials went further, warning that the heavy-handed tactics could be used to influence or pressure voters ahead of the November midterm elections.
Homan said that from now on, ICE will focus on targeted operations based on reasonable suspicion instead of wide-ranging sweeps. When asked whether he believed the Minnesota operation had worked, he said he thought it had been effective in protecting public safety, even while admitting it was not flawless.
He also made clear that targeted enforcement does not mean limited enforcement. According to Homan, if agents go to arrest a specific person and encounter others who are in the country illegally, those individuals will also be detained. That statement did little to reassure critics who fear the approach still opens the door to broad and unpredictable enforcement.
This partial retreat comes at a difficult political moment for Trump. Recent polls show growing public backlash against his immigration agenda, particularly the use of ICE in large-scale operations. An Ipsos poll released this week found that 62 percent of Americans believe ICE officers have gone too far. That number has risen since an earlier poll conducted before the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an incident that intensified national debate over ICE tactics and use of force.
Public opinion on that shooting remains deeply divided and uncertain. Only about a third of respondents said they believed the use of force was necessary, while a large portion said they were unsure, suggesting widespread discomfort and unanswered questions rather than confidence in the official response.
Trump’s overall standing with voters has also taken a hit. A recent Pew poll showed his approval rating falling to 37 percent, with half of Americans saying his administration’s actions have been worse than they expected. Support for his policies has dropped sharply over the past year, with just 27 percent now backing all or most of his plans.
Perhaps most striking is where that decline is coming from. According to Pew, the entire drop in support has occurred among Republicans, signaling growing unease even within Trump’s own political base. That internal erosion adds to the pressure facing the White House as criticism mounts from both opponents and former supporters.
Taken together, the decision to pull ICE agents out of Minnesota, the fierce response from local leaders, and the deteriorating poll numbers paint a picture of an administration under strain. While Trump and his allies insist they are staying the course, public resistance to mass deportations and aggressive enforcement tactics appears to be growing, raising serious questions about how sustainable this approach will be in the months ahead.
