Minneapolis: Bovino, head of Border Patrol, removed. Controversy over Ice agent hypothesis in Milan-Cortina

Donald Trump calls for an end to the 'resistance and chaos' in Minneapolis: White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said this at the press briefing. Donald Trump considers the death of a nurse under fire by federal police in Minneapolis a 'tragedy', but that it was the result of 'deliberate and hostile resistance' by Democrats: White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. The American president, she explained, "does not want to see people injured or killed in the streets," but demands "an end to the resistance and chaos" over his policy of deporting immigrants.

'I am quite astonished by Minister Piantedosi's attitude: first he says there is a problem, then he says we are making a controversy out of nothing. No, it is not nothing, and as a first citizen I really would not want this private police force to come to Milan'. This was said today by the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, on the sidelines of an event with the leader of Azione, Carlo Calenda. The ICE 'is a police force that acts in total illegality, that kills, but in any case acts in illegality,' he remarked. It means entering the homes of citizens without any mandate, the mandate they sign. So they are totally incompatible with our way of managing security'.

"There is a problem. It seems to me that a denial is finally coming, but I certainly don't think they are compatible with our ways of handling a sensitive issue like security, because sensitive it certainly is'. Action has launched a petition against the entry of ICE agents. A petition that the first Milanese citizen supports. "If there is something to sign, I will sign. Let us make ourselves heard." 'I strongly hope that they do not pass the Italian borders,' Sala then concluded.

Donald Trump outlined the path to restoring order in a phone call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz: White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said this in the press briefing, explaining that Walz and the mayor of Minneapolis will implement the measures, federal ICE and Border Patrol agents will no longer be needed.

"No one in the White House, least of all Donald Trump, wants to see Americans injured or killed in the streets" USA: White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said this at the press briefing, while criticising the Dem rhetoric against ICE. Leavitt added that the Minneapolis shooting is under investigation by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Border Patrol.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said President Donald Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and pledged to speak with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure state officials can investigate Saturday's shooting.

The two leaders spoke by phone this morning, and Trump also called the phone call 'a good idea'.

In the play, an officer is seen shooting blindly at 'our friends, children, mothers'

Donald Trump sends loyalist Tom Homan to Minnesota. The 'border czar' will take over ICE operations in the state, a role hitherto the responsibility of Kristi Noem. A former New York State border patrol agent, the 64-year-old was put in charge of ICE's Immigration and Customs Enforcement department by the Obama administration. With him the agency carried out a record number of deportations and to thank him for his work the Democratic president awarded him the highest honour for a federal official, the Presidential Rank Award.

Early in his first term, Trump promoted Homan to director of ICE and gradually the official became one of the masterminds of the 'zero tolerance' policy that led to the separation of thousands of migrant children from their parents. The former ended up in children's homes, the others prosecuted for attempting to immigrate illegally.

Further reading

Why Minnesota (and Minneapolis) is the centre of the clash with Trump

26 January 2026

"Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called me to ask me to work together in Minnesota. It was a very good call." Donald Trump said so on his Truth social, noting that Walz is "glad that Tom Homan", the border czar, is going to his state.

"I told Walz that Tom Homan will call him and that we want all criminals in possession" of the local authorities, "Very respectfully the governor understood. We will talk to him in the near future," Trump said. "He was happy that Homan was going to Minnesota. We've had great success in Washington, Memphis and New Orleans and pretty much every place we've gone. Crime is down in Minnesota as well, but both Governor Walz and I still want to do better," Trump highlighted.

On the streets of Minneapolis, informal networks of protesters have coalesced into a larger movement to resist federal agents, using loud whistles to signal their presence and phones to record their actions. Volunteers give three short whistles if Ice approaches and a longer whistle when someone is arrested. In some schools, volunteers form human chains to try to keep Ice officers away from students and staff entering and leaving. Others deliver groceries to immigrant families to prevent them from having to leave their homes.

Police used tear gas Sunday night to disperse a crowd of protesters who had gathered in front of a Minneapolis hotel, where they believed federal agents were staying after the killing of Alex Pretti.Videos from the scene show protesters making noise outside and writing on glass with messages such as 'Ice out'. The New York Post reported that protesters also tried to throw objects at people inside the lobby and break glass.

Chris Madel, a Minneapolis lawyer who was running as a Republican for governor of Minnesota, has announced that he is halting his campaign because of the Grand Old Party's 'retaliation' against his state, calling Ice's operations a 'total disaster'. "I cannot support the stated retaliation of Republicans nationwide against the citizens of our state, nor can I consider myself a member of a party that would do so," Madel said in a video posted on her campaign social.

Further reading

In Minnesota more than 60 business CEOs call for an end to immigration tensions

26 January 2026

The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, two Rupert Murdoch newspapers, urge Donald Trump to stop the Ice operation in Minnesota. 'It's time for Ice to stop in Minneapolis,' says the Wall Street Journal editorial board, emphasising that Alex Pretti was not a 'domestic terrorist' and, even if he made a mistake in interfering with the action of federal agents, he did not deserve a 'death sentence'. Pretti's incident is "the worst in what has become the presidency's biggest moral and political debacle": White House counselor Stephen Miller's "deportation methods" are "turning immigration into an issue for Republicans in 2026," the Wall Street Journal adds. "The administration's hasty and misleading rhetoric must stop: any reasonable person who has seen the video knows that Alex Pretti was not brandishing a gun," the New York Post highlights. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem "should also take a break from her self-aggrandising and aggressive appearances," it added.

The Washington Post has cancelled plans for coverage of the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. As the New York Times reports, the abrupt change of course came out of the blue just two weeks before the opening ceremony on 6 February. The decision, communicated on 23 January by the management to sports journalists, comes after the newspaper had already obtained accreditation, booked travel, accommodation and work space, incurring significant costs. "Assessing our priorities for 2026, we have decided not to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics," wrote Kimi Yoshino, one of the Wp's editors, in an email sent to a dozen journalists, "We realise that this decision and the timing will be a disappointment for many of you." The decision took the editorial staff by surprise and fuelled internal discontent, with a letter sent to publisher Jeff Bezos. In recent years, the Washington Post has been cutting expenses due to accumulated losses, and the step back is part of a context of financial difficulties and announced cuts. Although, according to a newspaper source, articles about the Olympics have consistently ranked among the Post's most popular sports content.

A federal judge will hear arguments today on a possible suspension, at least temporarily, of the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which led to the deaths of two people, killed by government agents.

The State of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Saturday's shooting death of Alex Pretti, who was shot by a Border Patrol agent, further increased the urgency of the case.

'It is denied that Ice USA will operate in Italy. There are no collaboration agreements signed to date for the Olympics'. This was stated by qualified sources at the Department of Public Security of the Ministry of the Interior. "Every activity of public order and safety in Italy is managed, without the possibility of derogations, by the Ministry of the Interior and its territorial articulations: prefectures and police headquarters," the same sources explain, adding that "it does not appear, at the moment, that Ice USA agents will be accompanying the American delegation in order to escort it. The composition of the US escort, in fact, has not yet been communicated by their authorities'.

With temperatures in Minneapolis dropping below freezing levels, a climate of solidarity has been created between police and the National Guard on one side and protesters on the other against the actions of the Border Patrol and Ice that in recent days killed Renee Goode and Alex Pretti, two American citizens involved in the protests. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told CBS that Pretti 'was exercising his First Amendment right by filming law enforcement activities and his Second Amendment right to be legally armed in a public space in the city'. Yesterday, meanwhile,' reports the New York Times, 'Sunday soldiers' of the National Guard, dressed in yellow waistcoats to distinguish themselves from federal agents, passed out coffee, hot chocolate, and biscuits to protesters. According to the Wall Street Journal, a new dynamic is being created, triggered by Ice's brutality: instead of calling the police on the protesters, some residents are calling the police for protection or presence as the masked feds in riot gear arrive. The detail emerges from a document filed in court by the city's legal department.

"Tom Homan will manage ICE's operations on the ground in Minnesota to continue arresting the worst undocumented immigrant criminals," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wrote after US President Donald Trump's announcement of Homan's upcoming arrival in Minnesota. "He will coordinate with those leading the investigation into the vast welfare fraud involving the theft of billions of dollars from taxpayers in Minnesota," the spokeswoman added.

More than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies signed a letter calling for an 'immediate de-escalation of tensions' after federal immigration agents shot dead a US citizen, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis. The managers called on 'state, local and federal officials to work together to find concrete solutions'. The companies stated that the recent unrest in Minnesota has caused 'widespread disruption and tragic loss of life'. Among the signatories to the letter, published by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, are Target's next CEO, Michael Fiddelke; William Brown, president and CEO of 3M; Brian Sikes, president and CEO of food giant Cargill; and Stephen Hemsley, CEO of UnitedHealth. "At this difficult time for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation among local, state and federal leaders to reach a swift and lasting solution that allows families, businesses, our employees and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future," the letter reads. Other signatories include the Minnesota Vikings, Mayo Clinic, General Mills, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Hormel, Medtronic, U.S. Bancorp and Xcel Energy.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has rejected the Trump administration's request to repeal so-called 'sanctuary' policies - i.e. those protecting migrants - and to share Medicaid, food assistance, and election data with the federal government in order to 'end the chaos in Minnesota'. CNN writes that. "This is not a serious attempt," Walz declared. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Walz on Saturday urging him to repeal asylum policies and allow the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division access to the state's voter rolls. President Donald Trump yesterday reiterated the demands, calling on Minnesota Democrats to "formally work with the Trump administration to enforce our nation's laws, rather than resist and fan the flames of division, chaos, and violence."

"With reference to the news circulated on the alleged presence of US Ice agents on the occasion of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, it should be noted that the president of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, responding to a question from journalists that subtended the presence of Ice in Milan, did not intend to confirm the presence of such agents, as he is not in possession of any information on the matter". Thus in a note issued by the Lombardy Region. "President Fontana," the note reads, "only commented, hypothetically, in response to a statement by journalists that, should security agents be present, their role would be limited to protecting any US dignitaries who might be present, such as Vice-President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the sole objective of guaranteeing their personal safety. Any other interpretation that would attribute to President Fontana a confirmation of the presence of Ice agents does not correspond to what is stated'.

Thus a note from Palazzo Lombardia, after President Fontana's words triggered the reaction of the oppositions: 'If President Fontana's words are confirmed and Ice agents are therefore present in Milan, it will be inevitable to be in the square to tell them one simple thing: go home. We do not want you in Milan,' said Pierfrancesco Majorino, leader of the PD group in the Lombardy Regional Council.

'Ice will only be here to monitor Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, so it will only be in a defensive measure should there be any attempt to... although I am convinced that nothing will happen'. This is how the president of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, on the sidelines of the 'Day of the Record', at Palazzo Lombardia, responds to those who ask him what he thinks of the presence of agents of the US forces Ice at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. 'Their presence,' Fontana explains, 'is limited to acting as bodyguards for Vice-President Vance and Rubio, so whether they are there, or others, the job they have to do is always the same, to be careful that no one gives them a shove or something happens to them. I believe,' he concludes, 'that relations between nations are well established, relations between law enforcement agencies are well established, so we will have one more guarantee.

After the killing of Alex Pretti, the second in a month of an American citizen in the anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis, several Republican voices are also raised against the tactics and methods of Donald Trump's anti-immigrant police force, which 'cannot be given carte blanche', says Senator Lisa Murkowsi. The new shooting "raises serious questions within the administration about the adequacy of the training of the anti-immigrant forces and the orders given to carry out the mission," continues the moderate Republican, often a voice critical of Trump. "The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing, the credibility of Ice and the Department of Homeland Security are at stake, there needs to be a full joint state and national investigation, to give the American people the truth of the facts," wrote Bill Cassidy, Senator from Lousiana. "There must be impartial and careful investigation into Saturday's shooting in Minneapolis," was echoed by Thom Tills, who also criticised the fact that the administration, as in the case of the killing of Renee Good in recent weeks, was quick to claim it was self-defence. "Any official who rushes to judgment and seeks to close an investigation before it begins does an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump," he concluded. Murkowski also calls for 'a full independent investigation' while also urging 'congressional committees to hold hearings'.

"The Justice Department and Congress are investigating 'Congresswoman' Illhan Omar, who left Somalia with nothing and is now reportedly worth more than $44 million." This was made known by US President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social, ramping up his tirade against the Somali-born congresswoman, who has long been a target of the tycoon's attacks. "Time will tell," he added. "Separately, a major investigation is underway related to the massive $20 billion-plus welfare fraud that has taken place in Minnesota and is at least partly responsible for the violent organised protests that are taking place in the streets," he concluded.

Il presidente americano Donald Trump ha annunciato l’invio dello “zar dei confini” in Minnesota, dove proseguono le tensioni tra Ice e manifestanti. «Stasera invierò Tom Homan in Minnesota. Non ha mai lavorato in quella zona, ma conosce e apprezza molte delle persone che ci vivono. Tom è severo ma giusto e riferirà direttamente a me», ha scritto su Truth Social.

Further reading

Ispi Report 2026: geopolitical and industrial challenges for Europe in the Trump era

26 January 2026