Texas Gov: ICE 'losing respect' as Minneapolis shooting rocks Trump

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has urged the Trump administration to 'recalibrate' ICE and warned that the agency is losing respect after the Minneapolis shooting.

The agency should 'get back to what they wanted to do to begin with, and that is to remove people from the country who are here illegally,' the Republican said. 

'We need to have respect for law enforcement officers in the country. ICE, they are law enforcement officers,' Abbott told radio host Mark Davis on Monday.

'So they, being the White House, need to recalibrate on what needs to be done to make sure that that respect is going to be reinstilled. And that's not an easy task, especially under the current circumstances.' 

Abbott joins a growing list of Republican lawmakers who have expressed concerns with the deteriorating crisis in Minnesota after agents shot dead Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, during anti-ICE protests on Saturday. 

The governor suggested that the Trump administration should create a 'game plan' so that ICE can deport illegals 'without causing all the kinds of problems and fighting in communities that they are experiencing right now.' 

Abbott criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for 'inciting violence' with their anti-ICE rhetoric.

'This is truly the problem in Minnesota. It's more about the lack of leadership, and the lack of calming by the governor, by the mayor, and candidly, I think they want it that way,' he added.

Trump sidelined Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday and ordered her longtime rival and ICE veteran Tom Homan to take charge of the deteriorating operation in Minnesota. 

The President privately expressed concerns about Noem's public messaging in the aftermath of Pretti's shooting, according to reports, after she branded him a 'domestic terrorist.'

Read More

EXCLUSIVE
Insiders reveal the REAL misstep that got Kristi Noem humiliatingly sidelined by Trump... and the weak excuse she's peddling to try and save her own skin

Riots erupted on Sunday night outside a Hilton hotel in Minneapolis, where ICE agents are believed to be staying. Protesters bashed windows and spray-painted the hotel's facade, while others chanted and paced in front of the building.

Republicans, including Trump's staunchest allies, have called for a full investigation into Pretti's shooting and even urged him to pull ICE out of Minnesota.

Senator Pete Ricketts, a close ally of the President, called for a 'prioritized, transparent investigation.'

'My support for funding ICE remains the same,' the Nebraska Republican, who is up for reelection, said online. 'But we must also maintain our core values as a nation, including the right to protest and assemble.'

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt told CNN that the shooting was a 'real tragedy' and Trump needs to define an 'end game.'

'Nobody likes the feds coming to their states,' Stitt said. 'And so what is the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-US citizen? I don´t think that´s what Americans want.'

Republican Representative James Comer, of Kentucky, echoed criticism that local law enforcement isn't cooperating with federal officials and suggested the administration focus its immigration efforts elsewhere. 

'If I were President Trump, I would almost think about if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm's way and there's a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide do we want to continue to have all these illegals?' he told Fox News. 'I think the people of Minnesota would rebel against their leadership.'

Vermont's Republican Governor Phil Scott, who has frequently opposed Trump's immigration crackdown, likened Pretti's shooting to murder.

'At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training, and leadership,' the Republican wrote on X.

'At worst, it's a deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens that's resulting in the murder of Americans. Again, enough is enough.'

Trump administration officials were quick to cast Pretti as the instigator.

Noem said Pretti 'approached' immigration officers with a gun and acted violently. 

Videos from the scene show the 37-year-old being pushed by an officer before a half-dozen agents descend on him. 

During the scuffle, he is holding a phone but is never seen brandishing the 9mm semiautomatic handgun police say he was licensed to carry.

Trump and other administration officials remained firm in their defense of the hardline immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis, blaming Democrats in the state, along with local law enforcement, for not working with them. Many Republicans either echoed that sentiment or stayed silent.

In a lengthy social media post on Sunday evening, Trump called on Minnesota's Democratic leadership to 'formally cooperate' with his administration and pressed Congress to ban so-called sanctuary cities.

Trump has enjoyed nearly complete loyalty from fellow Republicans during his first year back in the White House.

But the positions staked out in the wake of the shooting signal the administration will face at least some pushback within the party in its swift effort to define Pretti, who protested Trump's immigration crackdown, as a violent demonstrator.

Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller issued social media posts referencing an 'assassin' and 'domestic terrorist' while Noem said Pretti showed up to 'impede a law enforcement operation.'

Pretti's killing comes at a sensitive moment for the GOP as the party prepares for a challenging midterm election year. Trump has fomented a sense of chaos on the world stage, bringing the NATO alliance to the brink last week. Domestically, Trump has struggled to respond to widespread affordability concerns.

Approval of his handling of immigration has tumbled. Just 38 percent of US adults approved of how Trump was handling immigration in January, down from 49 percent in March, according to an AP-NORC poll.