In possible thaw, Trump and Minnesota's governor talk after fatal shooting

By Brad Brooks, Jack Queen and Andy Sullivan

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said on Monday they had a productive discussion on immigration enforcement, in a possible sign that Trump might consider de-escalating a surge of agents who have killed two U.S. citizens in the state.

Trump said he was "on a similar wavelength" with the Democratic governor, weeks after ordering thousands of federal immigration agents to the state in an operation that Walz and other local leaders have characterized as a lawless invasion.

Trump, for his part, has spent the past month accusing Walz of incompetence for failing to stop a welfare-fraud scandal in the state.

The fatal shooting of a 37-year-old nurse, Alex Pretti, on Saturday by immigration agents - the second U.S. citizen killed in the state by federal officers this month - has prompted a sharp public backlash and opinion polls show waning support for Trump's approach to immigration.

Walz's office said the two men had a "productive call" in which Trump said he would consider reducing the number of immigration agents in the state. He said Trump also agreed to talk with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure the state could conduct its own investigation into the shooting.

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Trump said he would dispatch the White House border czar, Tom Homan, to work with local officials following Saturday's shooting by immigration agents during a confrontation with protesters in Minneapolis. While other top Trump officials have characterized Pretti as a "domestic terrorist," Homan has not publicly spoken about the incident.

In a statement, Trump said Homan "has not been involved" in the Minnesota crackdown "but knows and likes many of the people there."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is demanding that Minnesota turn over people in its jails and prisons who are in the country illegally. Walz says the state prison system already does that, but some local law enforcement agencies do not.

The White House is also pressing Minnesota officials to enlist local police to help with immigration enforcement, which could be difficult as some cities like Minneapolis forbid police from enforcing federal civil immigration laws.

State officials say the number of immigration agents on the ground already outstrips the number of police in the area. They say the crackdown is endangering public safety and stretching their resources thin.

Trump's statements came as state officials pressed a U.S. judge to temporarily stop the surge of 3,000 immigration agents, which they characterized as a tactic to pressure the state to change its immigration policies.

"They put violence into the streets of Minnesota to get what they want," Brian Carter, a lawyer with the state attorney general's office, told U.S. Judge Katherine Menendez.

Trump administration lawyers argued they were simply enforcing immigration laws.

Menendez, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, appeared skeptical of the state's argument that she had the power to shut down the operation.

"One of the things I'm struggling with is that not all crises have a fix from a district court injunction," she said toward the end of the three-hour hearing. She did not say when she would issue a ruling.

At a separate court hearing, a federal judge considered a separate request by the state to force the administration to preserve evidence from Pretti's killing. Friedrich Sierkert, a lawyer representing the Trump administration, said footage from body-worn cameras at the scene was being preserved.

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The surge of agents has spurred massive street protests in below-freezing temperatures, and fierce condemnations by the state's Democratic leaders. Sixty of the state's largest businesses, including Target, 3M, UnitedHealth and U.S. Bancorp, called for an immediate de-escalation of tensions between the state and the Trump administration on Sunday.

A leading Republican candidate for governor, Chris Madel, dropped his bid on Monday, saying the crackdown had gone too far and had made the race unwinnable for a Republican.

"I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so," he said in a video statement.

Homeland Security Department officials have described the incident as an attack by Pretti, saying agents fired in self-defense after he approached them with a handgun.

But video from the scene, verified by Reuters, contradicts that account. The footage shows Pretti holding a phone -- not a gun -- as agents wrestle him to the ground. It also shows officers removing a firearm stored near his waistband after he was subdued, moments before they fatally shot him. Pretti was a licensed gun owner.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will remain in her job "with the full trust and confidence of the President," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that his administration is "reviewing everything" about the incident and said immigration officials would eventually withdraw.

Recent Reuters polling indicates that a significant slice of Trump's Republican backers - 39% - are wary of the heavy-handed approach, saying harm should be minimized even if this means fewer immigration-related arrests.

In Washington, Democrats in the Senate have said they will oppose a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, raising the likelihood of a partial government shutdown starting on Sunday.

Republicans approved a massive budget increase for immigration enforcement last year, but some of them also have criticized the administration.

"I would encourage the administration to be more measured, to recognize the tragedy, and to say we don't want anyone's lives to be lost," Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on his podcast.