'Shouldn't Have Happened': Trump Condemns Minneapolis Shootings, Suggests 'Softer Touch'

Last Updated:February 05, 2026, 07:23 IST

Donald Trump said the Minneapolis shootings were “very sad” and “should have not happened,” while defending immigration officers.

A file photo of US President Donald Trump (AP)

US President Donald Trump said the fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis were “very sad" and “should not have happened," while also defending federal immigration agents and reiterating that deportations would continue across the country.

Trump made the remarks in interviews following last month’s incidents, in which federal officers killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti during immigration operations in the city.

The shootings sparked widespread outrage and demonstrations, as well as calls for the federal government to halt or scale back enforcement actions in Minnesota.

Responding to a question about what he had learned from the Minneapolis episode, Trump said, “I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough. These are criminals. We’re dealing with really hard criminals."

He added that he had personally contacted state and local leaders, saying, “I’ve called the people. I’ve called the governor. I’ve called the mayor, spoken to him, had great conversations with him."

Trump complained that critics continued to attack his administration publicly “as though a call wasn’t made," and claimed that federal authorities had “done a great job everywhere," with only “a little inflammation" in a handful of places.

Turning to other deployments, Trump asserted that decisive federal action had prevented unrest elsewhere, saying he had “saved Los Angeles" by sending in National Guard troops and warning that he would act again if needed.

Asked directly about the Minneapolis shootings, Trump was pressed on whether immigration authorities had made mistakes.

“Well, look, I’m not happy with the two incidents, it’s not, you know, it’s both of them. Not one or the other," he said.

“He was not an angel, and she was not an angel, but still, I’m not happy with what happened there. Nobody could be happy, and ICE wasn’t happy either," he said.

Trump was then questioned if he thinks any of that justified what happened to them.

He replied, “No, it should not have happened. It was a very sad, to me, it was a very sad incident, two incidents."

He added that the officers most distressed by the outcome were those involved in enforcement.

“You know who feels worse about it than anybody? The people of ICE. They’re strong, tough people, and they have to be tough," he said, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

At the same time, Trump emphasised continued support for law enforcement.

“I’m going to always be with our great people of law enforcement. ICE, police, we have to back them. If we don’t back them, we don’t have a country," he said.

Trump’s comments came as his border chief, Tom Homan, announced that 700 federal officers would be withdrawn from Minnesota, though about 2,000 would remain in the state and immigration operations would not stop.

Homan said the reduction reflected increased cooperation with local authorities and a shift toward arresting suspected undocumented migrants in jails rather than on the streets.

Homan also made clear that deportations would continue nationwide.

“Mass deportations are here, they’re coming, we’re already breaking records, and we’re not going to stop," he said.

Both Good and Pretti were US citizens, and the incidents, along with disputed official accounts, drew international attention and fueled mass protests in the city.

News world 'Shouldn't Have Happened': Trump Condemns Minneapolis Shootings, Suggests 'Softer Touch'

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