Donald Trump will send his "border czar" to Minnesota and says his administration is "reviewing everything" in relation to the shooting death of a 37-year-old nurse by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Alex Pretti's death on Saturday was the second in the space of weeks in the US city, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been conducting an immigration crackdown.
Video of the incident shows Mr Pretti holding a phone in his hand before US agents deploy pepper spray, wrestle him to the ground and shoot the intensive care nurse.
The bystander videos appeared to contradict claims by the Trump administration that Mr Pretti was armed and provoking violence, and the US president has since said his administration was looking into the situation.
The US president posted on Truth Social that he would be sending his "border czar" Tom Homan to Minnesota, but did not elaborate on what he would do while there.
"Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me," Mr Trump said.
The US president insisted he had confidence Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, after Democrats renewed calls for her to quit.
It came as some within Mr Trump's own Republican party began calling for a fuller, independent probe.
"We're looking, we're reviewing everything and will come out with a determination," Mr Trump told the Wall Street Journal.
Amid increasing public anger over the handling of ICE's operations in Minneapolis, Mr Trump also told the paper he could withdraw agents from the Midwestern city.
"At some point we will leave. We've done, they've done a phenomenal job," he told the paper.
Republicans call for probe
In a post on X, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said Mr Pretti's killing "should raise serious questions within the administration about the adequacy of immigration-enforcement training and the instructions officers are given on carrying out their mission".
"A comprehensive, independent investigation of the shooting must be conducted in order to rebuild trust and Congressional committees need to hold hearings and do their oversight work," she said.
"ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties."
Republican Senator Thom Tillis echoed those calls, adding: "Any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy."
Former US House representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, regarded as one of Mr Trump's closest MAGA allies before a falling out last year over how an investigation into convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein had been handled, warned that Americans were "being incited into civil war".
She also argued American citizens like Mr Pretti were legally allowed to carry a firearm under the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.
The shooting of Mr Pretti happened just one mile away from where 37-year-old Renee Good, another American citizen, was shot dead in her car by ICE agents on January 7.
The deaths have sparked a wave of anger across the US, with former Democratic president Barack Obama labelling the latest killing "a wake up call to every American".
"This has to stop. I would hope that after this most recent tragedy, administration officials will reconsider their approach, and start finding ways to work constructively with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey as well as state and local police to avert more chaos and achieve legitimate law enforcement goals."
Judge to consider immigration crackdown
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, also a Democrat, called on Mr Trump, a Republican, to "show some decency" and remove ICE agents from his state.
Meanwhile, a US federal judge was set to hear arguments as to whether she should halt the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, even temporarily.
The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Ms Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer.
The lawsuit asks US District Judge Katherine Menendez to order a reduction in the number of federal law enforcement officers and agents in Minnesota back to the level before the surge and to limit the scope of the enforcement operation.
Justice Department attorneys have called the lawsuit "legally frivolous" and said "Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement."
They asked the judge to reject the request or to at least stay her order pending an anticipated appeal.
Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the lawsuit was needed because of "the unprecedented nature" of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
"It is a novel abuse of the Constitution that we're looking at right now. No one can remember a time when we've seen something like this."
ABC/AP
