Trump Administration Issues New Guidelines for US Immigration Agents Following Minnesota Shootings
According to documents reviewed by Reuters, the Trump administration has issued new guidelines to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the state of Minnesota, instructing them to avoid any direct interaction with protesters and to maintain distance from them. This decision comes after two American citizens were killed during shootings by federal agents.
The guidelines also emphasize that immigration agents should target only individuals facing criminal charges or convictions. This new approach marks a clear departure from previous extensive operations, which had sparked widespread negative reactions and legal challenges in Minneapolis and several other US cities.
An email from a senior official at US Immigration stated: “Do not communicate or engage with rioters. Doing so serves no purpose other than escalating the situation.” The message further stressed that the only communication line should be through officers issuing official orders.
The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the immigration agency, had not issued an official response to the guidelines at the time of this report.
This operational change takes place as President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he intends to ease tensions in Minneapolis and St. Paul. These tensions escalated after two American citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration agents earlier this month. In both incidents, Trump administration officials quickly labeled the victims as assailants; however, according to Reuters, available video evidence has called these claims into question.
The report states that Trump has assigned leadership of immigration operations in Minnesota to Tom Homan, a veteran border agent. A senior official told Reuters that this move is part of a transition to a more “targeted” law enforcement approach.
It was also reported that Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol chief who previously led enforcement operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and several other cities, has been demoted and will soon retire.
The new guidelines specify that immigration agents will be equipped with loudspeakers to clearly communicate orders to the public and are required to verbally explain all steps of the arrest process. Observers view this as an effort to reduce tensions and increase transparency during field operations.
