Trump says Alex Pretti ‘shouldn’t have been carrying a gun’ and backs embattled homeland security chief Noem – live

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Federal judge blocks deportation of five-year-old Minnesota boy and his father

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that a five-year-old Minnesota boy and his father cannot be immediately deported, one week after their arrest sparked international outrage.

A Texas-based judge issued an order saying Liam Ramos, the preschooler, and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, cannot be removed or transferred out of the judicial district where they are being held while the litigation challenging their detention proceeds.

Liam’s arrest seven days prior went viral and became a symbol of the Trump administration’s relentless crackdown on immigrant communities in the Minneapolis region. Attorneys for the family have said the father and son have an active asylum case and had entered the US at an authorized port of entry.

Donald Trump said his administration plans to “de-escalate” in Minnesota after weeks of a massive, and deadly, immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis-St Paul.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, the US president defended his administration’s campaign in the state, stating that ICE had taken “thousands of criminals out of Minnesota”. The operation and the killings of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents has drawn fierce condemnation and major protests.

Trump said border czar Tom Homan met with Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey on Tuesday, and that “we’re gonna de-escalate a little bit”.

Congressman Joaquin Castro is set to meet with Liam Ramos, the preschooler who was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota, and his father at a Texas detention center.

The Texas lawmaker said that he planned to visit Dilley Detention Center alongside Representative Jasmine Crockett on Wednesday.

Federal agents took the father and son, who have an active asylum case, into custody last week as the five-year-old returned home from school. Images of the child in a blue hat and an agent gripping the Spiderman backpack he carried sparked widespread outrage.

“He has become emblematic of the monstrosity of the ICE system and the detention system,” Castro said in a video shared on social media. “But the truth is Liam will be one of many kids … who are there in Dilley at that detention center.”

While speaking to diners in Iowa, Trump was asked if the US is now a defacto member of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) vis a vis Trump “running” Venezuela.

Trump didn’t answer directly: “We are a very strong presence in Venezuela. We’re going to get a lot of money for Venezuela. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world … And we are working beautifully with Venezuela.”

After the US capture of Nicolás Maduro, Trump said Venezuela “going to do better now than they ever did that they’ve done ever had any point, and we’re going to be making a lot of money for them and a lot of money for our country.”

He was then asked what this means for Cuba. Looking around at the diners in Iowa, Trump asked: “Anybody interested in Cuba? Not too many.” He then quipped that there were many people who cared about the island’s fate in Miami.

“Cuba will be failing pretty soon,” he continued. “Cuba is really a nation that is very close to failing.”

Trump says Alex Pretti 'shouldn’t have been carrying a gun' and claims ignorance of his team's false claims about slain VA nurse

Answering reporter questions in the restaurant, Trump once again declined to agree with characterizations by his own team of Pretti as a domestic terrorist, claiming not to have heard those comments.

“He shouldn’t have been carrying a gun,” Trump said, adding “I don’t like that he had a gun.” Minneapolis Police has said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit to carry a firearm. The assertion that he should not have carried a gun has drawn significant pushback from pro-second amendment groups, including the NRA, which are usually in lockstep with Republicans on matters of gun rights.

Even then, he said you’d have to be a “stupid person” not to think what happened to Pretti was “very unfortunate”.

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, described Pretti as a “would-be assassin” and a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to murder federal law enforcement”.

Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem claimed Pretti was “brandishing” a weapon, acting “violently” toward officers, which is plainly contradicted by video footage showing that he was holding a phone, not a gun, and was disarmed before he was killed.

Gregory Bovino, who has since left his post as Border Patrol commander, claimed without any evidence that Pretti wanted to “massacre law enforcement” and that the agents were “the victims”.

Trump stopped at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale, Iowa, wearing a dark winter coat and one glove. Diners greeted the president with applause.

“Iowa loves you,” one diner shouted. Trump walked around the room, going table to table to shake hands and pose for photos.

Speaking to the room, he bragged about the state of the economy and the record-low numbers of crossings at the border. “There’s never been a year like this in the history of the country,” he declared.

Trump said he would continued to travel across the country ahead of the fall elections, while lamenting the historical trend of a president’s party losing ground in the midterms.

“Hopefully we win the midterms,” he said. “It’s very scary.”

Trump has landed in Iowa, where he is due to give a speech focused on the economy and “affordability.”

As he arrived, the president blasted of a Truth social post, weighing in on the nomination of Iraq’s former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to serve again in the role.

“I’m hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister,” Trump wrote, threatening to withdraw US support if he is re-instated.

“Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom,” the US president continued. “MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!”

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said he told Trump’s border czar, that the city “does not and will not” enforce federal immigration law and urged an end to Operation Metro Surge “as quickly as possible”.

In a statement, Frey said he was joined by police chief Brian O’Hara for a “productive” meeting with Homan.

“I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to come to an end as quickly as possible,” Frey said.

He continued: “I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers.

“I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe.”

Trump administration officials have repeatedly blamed so-called “sanctuary” laws for exacerbating tensions on the ground. Minneapolis, along with Hennepin County, restricts coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Monday, the state’s governor, Tim Walz forcefully rebutted the administration’s claim that state prisons simply release the “worst of the worst” onto the streets.

“In reality, the Minnesota Department of Corrections honors all federal and local detainers by notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a person committed to its custody isn’t a US citizen,” Walz wrote. “There is not a single documented case of the department’s releasing someone from state prison without offering to ensure a smooth transfer of custody.”

A person was in critical condition on Tuesday following a shooting involving the Border Patrol near the US- Mexico border, the Associated Press reported, according to local officials.

In a short statement, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it was “working in coordination with” the FBI and US Customs and Border Protection in response to the shooting in Arivaca, Arizona, a community just over 10 miles from the border.

The Santa Rita Fire District told the AP it had responded to the shooting and the person who was wounded was in custody.

“Patient care was transferred to a local medical helicopter for rapid transport to a regional trauma center,” the fire district said.

Republican congressman Andrew Garbarino, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, announced that Todd Lyons, head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will testify at a public oversight hearing next month.

In a statement, Garbarino announced that Lyons, ICE’s acting director, will appear before the panel on 10 February alongside US Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott and US Citizenship and Immigration Services director Joseph Edlow.

“The hearing will provide an opportunity to conduct oversight of each agency and ensure they are fulfilling their duty to protect the homeland as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) core mission,” he said.

The committee had invited Lyons, Scott and Edlow to testify before Pretti was shot and killed, but followed up with a formal request on Saturday.

Noem must be fired — or face impeachment proceedings, House Democratic leaders say

In a joint statement, House Democratic leaders are threatening to launch impeachment proceedings if Noem isn’t fired “immediately”.

The statement, co-signed by Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, Katherine Clark, the Democratic Whip and Pete Aguilar, the Democratic Caucus Chair, accused the Trump administration of using taxpayer dollars to “kill American citizens, brutalize communities and violently target law-abiding immigrant families”.

“Kristi Noem should be fired immediately, or we will commence impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives,” they said. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

The leaders’ impeachment threat represents something of a tactical shift for Democrats, who are endorsing more aggressive actions following Pretti’s killing. In the Senate, Democrats said they are prepared to vote down a federal spending bill that includes more than $60bn in funding for DHS, risking a partial government shutdown.

“Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not kill them in cold blood,” the House leaders wrote in a scating statement.

In the House, support for impeaching Noem has exploded since Pretti’s death. New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among the most recent signatories to congresswoman Robin Kelly’s articles of impeachment, which the Illinois Democrat filed after the fatal killing of Renee Good earlier this month.

What started as an effort mostly backed by progressive Democrats to the dismay of more centrists, has quickly gained traction in every corner of the party.

Kelly could force a vote on her articles of impeachment, according to House rules, though they are unlikely to win enough support in the Republican-controlled chamber.

So far no Republicans have signed onto the impeachment resolution, which accuses Noem of obstructing Congress, violating the public trust and self-dealing. DHS has called the effort “silly” and a distraction, arguing that Democrats should be more focused on fighting crime in their districts.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, Walz met with Homan in the city as the administration attempted to reset and work with officials there to de-escalate the conflict between residents of Twin Cities and federal agents.

“Governor Walz met with Tom Homan this morning and reiterated Minnesota’s priorities: impartial investigations into the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, a swift, significant reduction in the number of federal forces in Minnesota, and an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota,” the governor’s office said in a statement following the meeting on Tuesday.

It continued: “The Governor and Homan agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue and will continue working toward those goals, which the President also agreed to yesterday. The Governor tasked the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as the primary liaison to Homan to ensure these goals are met.”

Homan was expected to meet with Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Frey, later today.

Trump says Noem doing a 'very good job' and won't step down

Asked whether Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem would step down, Trump replied that she would not.

“I think she’s done a very good job",” he said of Noem, as calls mount for her resignation. “I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure.”
He continued: “You know, you forget we had a border that I inherited where millions of people were coming through. Now we have a border where no one is coming through. They come into our country only legally. So you have to remember those things. You know people forget. As soon as you accomplish something, it goes into history, and nobody ever wants to talk about it.”

Speaking briefly to reporters as he departed the White House for Iowa, Trump said he would be “watching over” the investigation into Pretti’s killing by federal agents.

“Well you know we’re doing a big investigation,” Trump said, as the blades of Marine One spin loudly behind him on the White House lawn. “I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.”

In response to another question about the fatal encounter, which was difficult to hear, Trump said: “I’m looking at that whole situation. I love everybody. I love all of our people. I love [Pretti’s] family. And it’s a very sad situation.”

He said his border czar Tom Homan had just met with Walz in Minneapolis and would meet with the city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, later today. “All going very well,” Trump said. (He offered a similar assessment of the US economy, Russia and Syria.)

My colleague, Joseph Gedeon, is reporting that Minnesota’s top federal judge has summoned Todd Lyons, the acting head of ICE, to appear before him on Friday, warning he may be held in contempt for allegedly defying court orders.

Chief US district judge Patrick Schiltz demanded Lyons explain himself personally in a three-page order issued Monday evening, declaring that “the court’s patience is at an end”.

Schiltz, appointed by George W Bush, accused the Trump administration of deliberately delaying or ignoring judicial directives across Minnesota’s federal courts. His order stemmed from a case involving a man he had ordered released on 15 January who remained in custody as of Monday night.

Read the full story here