If the hardline immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis were conceived as a laboratory to be used as a model in other cities, the conclusion is clear: it was a failure.
What happened in Minneapolis, especially the death of two American citizens shot by immigration agents, is not just an operational error or an isolated excess.
It is the logical result of an immigration policy conceived from confrontation, executed with a heavy hand, and defended with propaganda.
The viral spread of multiple videos of the killing of young nurse Alex Pretti, which showed that the initial official version was false, coupled with the outrage expressed in polls, was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
After a phone conversation with Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz, President Donald Trump made the wise decision to moderate his immigration approach.
The self-proclaimed operational commander Greg Bovino—who boasts about his aggressive tactics and flaunted them on social media—was removed as head of operations and replaced by border czar Tom Homan.
Bovino and his agents will leave the city that had been the epicenter of daily confrontations between residents and immigration agents, with scenes that resembled war zones.
The announced partial withdrawal of agents can be interpreted as a gesture of de-escalation. But it is insufficient if it is not accompanied by something deeper: transparency, real cooperation with state investigations, and a fundamental rethinking of immigration policy.
It’s not just about how many agents are on the street, but under what logic they operate and with what limits.
For now, everything seems to indicate that a stage of cooperation between state and local authorities and the federal government is opening.
This is a change in the course of events that corrects the initial trajectory and can set a model for cooperation on immigration issues.
Minneapolis is not an exception. It is a warning. A sign of what happens when immigration policy is used as a tool for cultural and electoral warfare.
Today it’s Minnesota; tomorrow it could be any other city. The question is not whether there will be more crises like this one, but how much more the country is willing to tolerate before demanding real change.
Let us hope that the federal actions are an acknowledgment that the United States cannot ignore its own principles and values when confronting a social challenge. Public policies, in all areas, must be conducted with adherence to the law, justice, and equity. Because we all have rights, especially the right to dignified and humane treatment.
