Trump describes ‘very good’ phone call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
President Donald Trump said he had a “very good” phone call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
“Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday.
This comes just hours after Trump announced he’s sending border czar Tom Homan to oversee ICE operations in Minnesota.
“I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession. The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future,” Trump wrote.
“He was happy that Tom Homan was going to Minnesota, and so am I! We have had such tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually every other place that we have “touched” and, even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better,” he added.
President Donald Trump had a ‘very good’ phone call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, he said Monday (Getty)
Katie Hawkinson26 January 2026 16:45
White House maintains Noem has Trump’s ‘full trust and confidence’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem still has President Donald Trump’s “full trust and confidence,” a White House official told CNN.
This comes after Trump announced he’s sending border czar Tom Homan to oversee ICE operations in Minnesota.
“Secretary Noem will continue to lead the Department of Homeland Security with the full trust and confidence of the President,” the White House official said.
“Tom Homan is uniquely positioned to drop everything and focus solely on Minnesota to solve the problems that have been created by a lack of cooperation from state and local officials,” the official continued.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has President Donald Trump’s ‘full trust and confidence,’ a White House official reportedly said (Reuters)
Katie Hawkinson26 January 2026 16:26
Minnesota official accuses Trump of exacting ‘retribution’
A federal judge is hearing arguments in a case challenging the surge of federal agents to Minnesota.
Brian Carter, counsel for the office of the Minnesota attorney general, has been responding to the judge’s ongoing questions on what it is about Trump’s surge in Minnesota that rises to a violation of state sovereignty.
“No matter what, if you’re treating states differently … it has to be justified … here, what is the justification? It’s personal animosity, it’s retribution,” Carter said.
He added: “Literally, the president of the United States, in the middle of this violence, this chaos … said, ‘Minnesota, your day of retribution is here.’ This is crazy. … He’s not saying that to Missouri or Texas. … If this is the way things go, if this isn’t stopped, what’s gonna happen with the next administration?”
Alex Woodward, Katie Hawkinson26 January 2026 16:19
Watch: Shooting of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti prompts UK debate over policing tactics
Minnesota federal agent shooting prompts UK debate over policing tactics
The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti during an altercation with federal agents in Minnesota on Saturday (24 January) has sparked renewed debate over US immigration policing tactics. The shooting of Mr Pretti comes less than three weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good also in Minneapolis on January 7. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed Pretti drew a gun before agents fired “defensive shots” at him, but so far the government has provided no evidence to support this. Now, even Republican lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to launch a full investigation into the shooting. The Independent took to the streets of London to gauge public reaction in the UK.
Katie Hawkinson26 January 2026 16:15
Federal health workers condemn fatal shooting of Alex Pretti
A group of current and former employees at the Department of Health and Human Services issued an open letter to the U.S. Senate condemning the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti.
“As current and former Department of Health and Human Services staff, we are deeply shaken by the execution of our colleague, Alex Pretti, on January 24, 2026. This loss of life reflects a growing public health crisis as a result of the actions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” the letter reads. “We cannot pursue our mission to improve the health and well-being of all Americans while DHS agents are murdering, assaulting, and terrorizing people who call this country home.”
The letter continues: “As a Veterans Affairs nurse, Alex took the same oath we did: to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
The group is calling on ICE and CBP to “immediately halt the invasion of American cities,” as well as submit to “independent investigations” and “adopt new protocols that do not violate the Constitution.”
Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent (AFP/Getty)
Katie Hawkinson26 January 2026 16:04
Judge hears arguments in case challenging surge of immigration agents to Minnesota
Mike Bedigan26 January 2026 15:50
Minnesota official calls surge of federal agents ‘unprecedented’
Minnesota officials are asking a federal judge to end what they called an “unprecedented” surge of federal agents to a state.
At a hearing Monday, the judge acknowledged the “enormous amount of collateral damage,” but asked how it can rise to accusing the government of violating the 10th Amendment.
Brian Carter, for the state, said it’s hard to point to a precedent for something that is unprecedented.
“The difficulty in case law with this information is that this information is unprecedented in the 250-year history of our country,” he said. “We had never had a federal government amass what is essentially an army of 3,000-4,000 masked heavily armed federal agents and sent them into a state to basically stir the pot with conduct that is pervasive and includes widespread illegal violent conduct.”
Judge Katherine Menendez said “it goes without saying that we are in shockingly unusual times,” but added that “we still have to have a legal doctrine that invalidates what the government is doing.”
Alex Woodward, Katie Hawkinson26 January 2026 15:39
Judge hears arguments in case challenging surge of immigration agents to Minnesota
A federal judge is now hearing arguments in a case challenging the Trump administration’s surge of federal agents to Minnesota.
Attorneys for the state are urging the judge to swiftly block the Trump administration’s surge, noting that Minnesota does not even have “the largest number or ratio of noncitizens” for what DHS has called its largest immigration enforcement operation ever.
“Yet the federal government has sent an unprecedented force,” including “roving patrols” who are “racial profiling and inflicting violence” on Minnesota residents, Lindsey Middlecamp, special counsel for the state, said in an opening statement.
In response, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent “what can only be described as a ransom note” to Governor Tim Walz, Middlecamp said. That letter, which is included in court filings, suggests that DHS could withdraw officers if the state hands over SNAP and voter information.
The message appears to show that DHS is holding the state “hostage,” Middlecamp said.
Anti-ICE demonstrators march in Minneapolis (AFP/Getty)
Alex Woodward, Katie Hawkinson26 January 2026 15:25
Minneapolis city council member reacts as Tom Homan heads to Minnesota
Shortly after President Donald Trump announced he’s sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, a Minneapolis city council member told CNN the move is “just escalating tensions.”
“They are losing the battle in people’s minds. Because we’re seeing the video. We’re seeing what’s happening. We’re seeing that this is Minnesota,” city council member Soren Stevenson said.
“They’re losing this narrative battle, and so he’s sending in his top guard. And really, it’s escalating, because we just want to be left alone. The chaos in our community is coming from ICE. It’s coming from this invasion that we’re under … and it’s got to stop,” he added
Katie Hawkinson26 January 2026 15:17
What to expect as judge hears arguments about surge of federal agents to Minnesota
The hearing this morning in Minnesota is in the court of Judge Katherine Menendez, who is overseeing at least two cases targeting the Trump administration’s surge in the state.
In this case, she’ll be hearing from state officials who are asking the court to find the surge “unconstitutional and unlawful” and to permanently block the administration from “implementing the unprecedented surge in Minnesota or any other similar action in Minnesota.”
“This operation is driven by nothing more than the Trump Administration’s desire to punish political opponents and score partisan points—at the direct expense of Plaintiffs’ residents. Defendants’ actions appear designed to provoke community outrage, sow fear, and inflict emotional distress, and they are interfering with the ability of state and local officials to protect and care for their residents,” according to the complaint.
Officials filed the lawsuit earlier this month before the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
Alex Woodward26 January 2026 15:05