Greg Bovino to leave Minnesota as Trump faces backlash over second fatal ICE shooting; 'border czar' to take charge

US President Donald Trump touted productive conversations with the governor and Minneapolis mayor as he seemed to soften his tone Monday on the immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

According to the Associated Press, Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino and some federal agents will begin leaving Minnesota on Tuesday.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he spoke by phone with Trump, who praised the discussion and declared that “lots of progress is being made."

Frey was quoted as saying he asked Trump in a phone call to end the immigration enforcement surge and that Trump agreed the present situation cannot continue.

The mayor said some agents would soon leave and that he would keep pushing for others involved in Operation Metro Surge to go.

Now, Bovino's departure marks a significant public shift in federal law enforcement posture amid mounting outrage over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents -- the second fatal shooting by federal immigration officers this month.

Bovino's leadership of highly visible federal crackdowns, including operations that sparked mass demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and Minneapolis, has drawn fierce criticism from local officials, civil rights advocates and congressional Democrats.

Criticism increased around Bovino in the last few days after his public defense of the Pretti shooting and disputed claims about the confrontation that led to his death.

Trump posted on Monday on social media that Homan would report directly to him.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Homan would be “the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis” during continued operations by federal immigration officers.

Their conversation happened on the same day a federal judge heard arguments in a lawsuit aimed at halting the federal immigration enforcement surge in the state.

“We, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” the president wrote in a social media post.

In a statement, Walz said the call was “productive" and that impartial investigations into the shootings were needed.

Trump said his administration was looking for “any and all” criminals the state has in their custody. Walz said the state Department of Corrections honors federal requests for people in its custody.