Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ramped up his divisive attacks on the Trump administration even after the president deployed “border czar” Tom Homan to de-escalate the unrest following the shooting of Alex Pretti.
“They started this fire and we are not going to give them credit for putting it out,” Walz told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in his first TV interview since the 37-year-old nurse was shot dead during a scuffle with Border Patrol agents on Saturday.
The embattled governor said he had met with Homan and there was a “tone shift” and “progress.” However, he then needled the border czar, implying that it was insincere.
“I think the thing that I’m most concerned about is that the tone was different. There was a tone shift. I wish it was because of the horrific shooting that somebody saw some morality — but I think it’s probably the press,” he jabbed, adding that Homan never asked about Pretti or his family.
Walz then blasted the Trump administration over its handling of Pretti’s death and the death of Renee Good on Jan. 7, saying that it is infected with “a cruelty that runs so deep.”
He specifically cited the DOJ’s decision to open an investigation into Good’s widow.
“It’s a siege in all respects,” he said of the massive immigration operations.
Homan, who was first appointed to ICE under the Obama administration, said his meeting with Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was “productive” and struck a unified tone with the local leaders.
“We all agree that we need to support our law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets. While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point and I look forward to more conversations with key stakeholders in the days ahead,” Homan posted on X.
“President Trump has been clear: he wants American cities to be safe and secure for law-abiding residents — and they will be,” he added.
Walz’s divisive attacks also come after Trump tried to calm tensions, saying the two spoke by phone and that “it was a very good call” and they “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”
The president then told Fox News in an interview Tuesday evening that “we’re going to de-escalate a little bit.”
The two men have traded verbal blows after the president ordered thousands of ICE agents to the state to arrest illegal immigrants last month, sparking massive protests, especially after the recent violence.
Trump earlier this week made four demands of Democratic elected officials across the country to try to put an end to the “Division, Chaos, and Violence,” in a Truth Social post.
The four demands:
- Turn over illegal immigrants in local jails or subject to arrest warrants to the feds.
- Have state and local law enforcement commit to turning illegal immigrants over to the feds.
- Make local police help the feds track down and detain illegal immigrants wanted for crimes.
- Partner with the feds to “protect American Citizens in the rapid removal of all Criminal Illegal Aliens in our Country.”
Trump additionally called on Congress to abolish sanctuary city policies in the US, which he claimed are the “root cause of all of these problems.”
