Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world
It has taken the fatal shootings of two US citizens, but something has shifted in America. The violence by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis, and above all the killings of the protesters Renée Good and Alex Pretti, have resonated across US society in a way much of the Trump administration’s creeping authoritarianism has not. The White House’s retreat is only partial. But Americans have drawn a red line that makes this a key moment in Donald Trump’s second term.
The broad reason is the tactics ICE has displayed in Minnesota: masked agents smashing through car windows or doors of private homes, often at gunpoint, to drag away suspects — most of whom have committed no crime. Tear gas and pepper spray used on local protesters documenting agents’ actions on smartphones. Such scenes smack of an authoritarian state. They reinforce the impression that ICE has become a paramilitary force loyal to the executive rather than to the law.
Popular anger far beyond Minnesota was crystallised by the shootings of Good and Pretti — one a mother of three shot in the head as she turned her car away from federal agents; the other a nurse who cares for elderly veterans, shot on the ground after he tried to help bystanders being pepper-sprayed. Video later emerged showing Pretti previously shouting abuse and kicking an ICE agent’s car, but none of this can justify his killing. He was certainly not, as White House officials initially alleged, a “domestic terrorist”. Citizen footage exposed such comments as lies.
Even conservative Americans have been riled by what they see as fundamental rights being stripped away. A leaked memo written last year authorised ICE agents to forcibly enter private residences to arrest individuals using only an administrative rather than a judge-issued warrant. Officials including vice-president JD Vance have argued ICE agents have absolute immunity from prosecution for their actions since they are following federal orders. And presidential criticism of Pretti for carrying a gun was seen as cutting across Second Amendment rights, prompting rare criticism of a Republican administration from the National Rifle Association. Whatever outsiders may think of US gun laws, there is little more fundamental to many Americans than the sanctity of their homes and gun rights.
Polling now shows for the first time that a plurality of Americans want ICE to be disbanded; a majority believe its tactics in Minneapolis have been too aggressive. All three living Democratic former presidents have spoken out; senior Republicans should join them. While government shutdowns are better avoided, Democrats are rightly seeking to block funding for ICE expansion.
The administration has been forced into a tactical retreat, replacing the hardline commander Gregory Bovino with border tsar Tom Homan, and promising to pull some of the 3,000 federal troops out of Minneapolis.
This does not yet mark a turning point. The damage to trust and lives from ICE’s actions cannot quickly be repaired. ICE may still deploy similar tactics elsewhere, unless Congress imposes strict limits. The latest pivot is part of a pattern of partial retreats, in which Trump quickly moves on to something else that diverts attention — this time, renewed threats to Iran.
Neither does the outrage over Minnesota indicate a broader shift of opinions. The Maga base still believes Trump can do little wrong, and despite their anger over ICE many conservatives still support much of his agenda. But the latest pivot suggests the Trump White House remains sensitive to public pressure and legal risks. Domestic limits exist and some Americans are ready to defend them.