MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The Trump administration has, at least for now, made some changes to its mass deportation campaign in Minnesota.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The administration removed Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol official who was the public face of the immigration operation. He's going to return to a previous job in California, and border czar Tom Homan will replace him. The administration has also stopped repeating its false narrative about a shooting without actually retracting any of the false claims. And President Trump called Tim Walz, the governor he previously blamed for the shooting by federal agents on a snowy street. In a moment, we'll hear what a Republican state representative from Minnesota thinks about all this. We begin with the facts.
MARTIN: Joining us from Minneapolis with the latest is reporter Matt Sepic of Minnesota Public Radio. Good morning, Matt.
MATT SEPIC, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: So we understand that Greg Bovino is no longer leading the Border Patrol. What have you heard about that move?
SEPIC: Bovino was the commander-at-large of the agency. He's made himself visible on the streets during operations here in Minnesota and elsewhere. Governor Tim Walz says Bovino is leaving Minnesota. Now he's returning to his old post in California and is expected to retire soon. This is effectively a demotion because he's no longer leading the administration's multistate operation.
MARTIN: And President Trump spoke by phone with both Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. What do we know about those calls?
SEPIC: On social media, the president said that he had a, quote, "very good telephone conversation" with the mayor. Frey said Trump agreed that the present situation cannot continue. And Governor Walz says the president seemed earnest.
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TIM WALZ: Whatever has happened here, there is a definite change of tone. There is definitely a more collaborative tone. I want to make sure that I'm not jeopardizing that, that I'm going to take them for their word right now.
SEPIC: Walz says Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of federal agents here and allow state police to investigate the killings of Renee Macklin Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on Saturday.
MARTIN: And this has been a big point of contention. We've talked about this a number of times. So is the state taking part in any investigations?
SEPIC: There is little that state police can do without their federal counterparts, and there's still no indication whether the feds are cooperating. After Good was killed, the Department of Homeland Security blocked Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from investigating. Then Saturday, DHS refused to let the BCA access the area where Pretti was killed, even after the state got a search warrant. A judge ordered the feds not to destroy any evidence. That order remains in place even as the Justice Department challenges it. In court yesterday, assistant U.S. attorney Fred Siekert argued that the feds are already preserving the evidence. But state attorney Peter Farrell said he's not so sure because top administration officials called Pretti a domestic terrorist within hours of his death.
MARTIN: So it seems like a lot of things are coming to head in federal court. Where do things stand with Minnesota's effort to halt the operation altogether?
SEPIC: During a hearing yesterday, state attorneys argued that the presence of so many federal agents in Minnesota is overwhelming local public safety resources. They also say the Justice Department is extorting the state. They pointed to a letter that Attorney General Pam Bondi sent to Walz on Saturday in which she demands that Minnesota hand over its voter rolls. The DOJ calls the lawsuit frivolous and says the federal government has the right to enforce immigration laws. In yet another case, Minnesota's chief federal judge Patrick Schiltz has ordered acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear personally in court here on Friday. Schiltz says the agency has failed to comply with dozens of orders to provide hearings for people who are alleging that they are being unlawfully detained. Schiltz writes, quote, "the court's patience is at an end."
MARTIN: So, Matt, before we let you go, give us a sense of the mood in Minneapolis.
SEPIC: People are continuing to mourn the deaths of Renee Macklin Good and now Alex Pretti with protests and vigils. And despite the apparent detente, thousands of masked agents remain. And many residents are seeking some sort of assurance that the killings will get a proper investigation.
MARTIN: That's Matt Sepic of Minnesota Public Radio. Matt, thank you.
SEPIC: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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