Trump says a "somewhat softer" approach could be used in US immigration operations.

The Government says it has arrested more than 4,000 migrants

Los Ángeles (EE.UU.).- El presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, said this Wednesday that he has learned that a "slightly softer" approach could be used in immigration operations, following the death of two U.S. citizens amid protests over raids in Minneapolis (Minnesota) last month.

"I learned that perhaps we can use a slightly softer approach," the president said in an interview with NBC News that aired this Wednesday. "But we still have to be firm," he added.

However, Trump defended in the interview with journalist Tom Llamas, presenter of the NBC Nightly News program, his immigration policy by stating that it is about combating "very dangerous criminals". The White House faced a series of criticisms, including from members of the Republican party, following the shooting deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, two 37-year-old American citizens. The death of Pretti on January 24th further fueled criticism against the use of excessive force by immigration agents.

Trump defends his immigration policy

Trump confirmed in the Oval Office interview that the initiative to withdraw about 700 immigration agents from Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis was his, announced this Wednesday by his border czar, Tom Homan, after reaching cooperation agreements with authorities in that city. "We have achieved it. We are waiting for them to hand over the assassins they have detained and all the criminals, drug traffickers, all the bad people we allowed into our country," the president warned.

The president again attacked the former president Joe Biden (2021-2025), whom he blamed for having an open borders policy.

Trump again overstated the number of immigrants who entered through the border during the Democratic government using their right to seek asylum. The decrease in crime in cities like Minneapolis and Chicago was also attributed to its immigration policy, without providing supporting figures.

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The Republican leader also complained that he had "good conversations" with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats, but then heard them criticizing him. "I called the people. I called the governor. I called the mayor. I spoke with them. We had very good conversations. And then I see them out there ranting and complaining, literally as if that call never happened," Trump pointed out. The statements of the president come to light when a U.S. Congressional committee heard Good's siblings, Luke and Brent Ganger, speak about the "deep pain" left by the woman's death on January 7th.

The Government says it has arrested more than 4,000 migrants

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration assured this Wednesday that it had arrested more than 4,000 immigrants accused of various crimes during the operations carried out in Minneapolis by federal agents under the so-called 'Operation Metro'. According to data released by the White House, the arrests include people convicted of serious crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and drug trafficking, as well as gang members and others considered a threat to public safety. Authorities indicated that the operations were carried out by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with the support of the Border Patrol and local bodies, as part of a deployment that began in mid-2025.