- On Friday, thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Minneapolis and other major US cities
- He, however, stressed that ICE and Border Patrol agents would continue to take firm action
- demonstrations would persist unless federal forces are fully withdrawn from the state
President Donald Trump has directed the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stay away from protest activities in Democrat-controlled cities unless state or local authorities formally request federal assistance.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the directive, announced on Saturday, comes amid weeks of tension triggered by mass protests in Minneapolis following the deployment of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, as well as the killing of two US citizens during federal operations in the city.
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Trump, a Republican, made the position known via his Truth Social account, noting that he had instructed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that federal agencies must not intervene in protests in Democrat-led cities “unless, and until, they ask us for help.”
He, however, stressed that ICE and Border Patrol agents would continue to take firm action to secure federal buildings and assets.
“There will be no spitting on our officers, no attacks on our vehicles, and no throwing of rocks or bricks at our personnel. Anyone who does so will face equal or even greater consequences,” Trump wrote.
– Trump
He further warned that courthouses and all federal facilities under government protection would not be allowed to suffer any form of damage.
There was no immediate reaction from the DHS or the office of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey regarding the president’s statement.
The development follows Trump’s immigration crackdown launched last year, which largely targeted Democrat-governed states and cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland. The administration justified the heavily militarised operations as necessary to rid the country of criminal elements.
In Minnesota, federal officials disclosed that about 3,000 immigration agents were deployed in what they described as the largest enforcement operation of its kind. The exercise reportedly began in November and was partly linked to alleged fraud cases involving some residents of Somali descent.
The surge heightened friction between federal authorities and state officials, leading to frequent confrontations between activists and immigration officers.
The situation worsened after the deaths of Alex Pretti on January 14 and Renee Good on January 7, both allegedly shot by federal agents who claimed they acted in response to threats. However, eyewitness accounts and video footage circulating online have disputed those claims.
On Friday, thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Minneapolis and other major US cities, demanding the complete withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with other officials, has also challenged the legality of the enforcement operation, accusing the DHS of violating constitutional rights. While a lawsuit is ongoing, a federal judge declined to halt the operation, with the Department of Justice dismissing the legal action as “frivolous.”
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera correspondent Manuel Rapalo, reporting from Minnesota, observed that Trump’s latest order signals a possible shift in tone by the White House.
According to him, the move followed the replacement of the Border Patrol commander overseeing the Minneapolis operation, Greg Bovino, with Tom Homan, the chief of border policy.
Rapalo noted that Homan recently announced a shift toward more targeted operations rather than sweeping street raids and hinted at reducing the number of deployed agents if state and local authorities cooperate.
“All of these points to increased coordination between local and federal authorities, giving some residents hope that tensions may begin to ease’, he said.
He added, however, that protesters remain firm in their stance, warning that demonstrations would persist unless federal forces are fully withdrawn from the state.
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