White House May Reduce Federal Immigration Agents in Minnesota

Ryan Knutson (0:00)

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Alex Ossola (0:22)

The White House will consider reducing the number of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Plus, tax season kicks off today and you might find you're getting bigger deductions than in past years. And for some people on Obamacare plans, a jump in monthly premiums is forcing tough choices.

Rachel Ensign (0:39)

Folks who feel like they really need insurance are finding a way to make it work because they have health issues, they need to see the doctor. But people who are healthier are just dropping insurance and hoping for the best.

Alex Ossola (0:54)

It's Monday, January 26th. I'm Alex Ossola for The Wall Street Journal. This is the PM Edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today.

We begin this evening in Minneapolis, where residents are still reeling from the fatal shooting of Alex Preddy this weekend, the second killing of a US citizen by federal immigration authorities in the city this month. WSJ National Affairs reporter Joe Barrett has been on the ground in Minneapolis.

Joe Barrett (1:24)

Yesterday, I went to the scene of the shooting. There were a lot of people there paying their respects. I then went to a protest that I just happened to see in downtown near my hotel. There were 300 people screaming their heads off and doing protest-y things, not always peacefully. And then at the end of the night, there was a vigil I went to in a park that's just down the street from where Mr. Preddy lived. Three different vibes in three different places. There's a lot of anger. There's a lot of sadness and people are out on the streets expressing that.

Alex Ossola (1:52)

Today, Joe said the big action has moved to the courtroom. In one hearing, a federal judge addressed a Minnesota lawsuit seeking to end what the state has called an unlawful federal immigration operation.

Joe Barrett (2:03)

She said, you know, she really wants to get this done and that if she had a front burner in front of her front burner, that's what this would be on. She made a really interesting comparison saying that there were 400 ICE or extra agents surged in to Illinois and Chicago. And here we're talking about 3,000 to 4,000 in a much, much smaller state, just really asking the government specifically, is there a point at which your enforcement is just too much? What is that point? The government lawyer just chafed at the whole idea saying if you were going to get into that case, then, you know, you'd be down to the point of like, where do we put each of our agents because it's our purview to mobilize our agents the way we see fit.

Alex Ossola (2:40)

In today's other case, federal officials said they're ensuring that the evidence from Predi's shooting is preserved. Meanwhile, in Washington, President Trump said he had a quote, very good call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and that he was sending border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt at a briefing this afternoon spoke extensively about Minneapolis.

SPEAKER_2 (3:02)

Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America's streets. This includes Renee Good, Alex Predi, the brave men and women of federal law enforcement and the many Americans who have been victimized at the hands of illegal alien criminals. Saturday's shooting remains under active investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

Alex Ossola (3:29)

Levitt also said that Trump will reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota if local officials there increase their cooperation with federal authorities. Michelle Hackman, who covers immigration for the Journal, has been following this story. Michelle, what we've been hearing from Levitt and the president, is this a de-escalation that we're seeing from the administration?

Michelle Hackman (3:48)

It definitely looks that way. You know, Caroline Levitt spoke from the podium today and laid out all these conditions that they want Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota to meet in order for them to draw down the federal immigration presence in Minneapolis. But the conditions are a little wishy washy. One of them is that they want more state cooperation on immigration enforcement, specifically for state prisons to turn over immigrants in the country illegally who are in their jails and prisons serving criminal sentences. The Minnesota government has actually already been doing that. And so that's one of those things where you can sort of call an easy win. It looks to me as though the administration is looking for a way to de-escalate the situation but not look like it's a total retreat with your tail between your legs.