Trump dispatches border czar to Minnesota as judge weighs bid to pause immigration crackdown

President Donald Trump on Monday directed his border czar, Tom Homan, to take oversight of an immigration crackdown in Minnesota as the operation faces intensifying backlash, court scrutiny, and protests. The decision comes after two fatal shootings involving federal immigration officers in the state this month, escalating pressure on the administration to explain tactics and oversight.

A federal judge heard arguments in a lawsuit seeking to stop the enforcement surge, which involves thousands of federal agents and has drawn support from other states and Washington, D.C., through court filings. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez said the case was a priority, but did not immediately rule on whether she would grant a temporary halt.

Trump said he and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz spoke by phone and suggested the two were now on a “similar wavelength,” a shift in tone from their earlier exchanges. Walz described the call as productive, while also calling for impartial investigations into the shootings and for accountability around enforcement operations.

In court, Menendez questioned the government’s motivations and expressed skepticism about correspondence from Attorney General Pam Bondi directed at the governor. The AP report says the letter asked Minnesota to provide federal access to voter rolls, to turn over Medicaid and food-assistance records, and to repeal sanctuary policies—requests that add a broader political dimension to what began as an enforcement dispute.

Outside the courthouse, the federal presence has become a magnet for demonstrations, with tensions rising in Minneapolis and other areas. The legal fight in Minnesota is shaping up as a major test case for the administration’s approach, with national implications for how far federal immigration enforcement can go when states and cities resist.