WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he instructed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem not to intervene in protests occurring in cities led by Democrats unless local authorities ask for federal help amid mounting criticism of his administration's immigration crackdown.
From left, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks as Attorney General Pam Bondi, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem listen during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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People gather for a protest outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Activists gather in protest to light candles on frozen Lake Nokomis, spelling, "Ice Out" on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Killing in Minnesota intensifies protests
A protester is pepper sprayed at close range while being detained near the site of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost via AP)
A person holds up their hands as law enforcement deploys a thick screen of teargas on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ben Hovland/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
Federal agents deploy tear gas and other munitions into a crowd of people near the intersection of 27th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis after a federal officer shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ben Hovland/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
A border patrol agent aims a munition launcher at a crowd of people near the intersection of 27th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis after a federal officer shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ben Hovland/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
People gather at the site where a federal officer shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ben Hovland/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks about the man in Minneapolis who was killed by a federal immigration officer earlier in the day during a news conference at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Washington. Behind Noem, from left, are Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Karen Evans, acting deputy administrator of FEMA, and Gregg Phillips, head of the Office of Response and Recovery at FEMA. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A group of protesters use a dumpster for cover on Nicollet Avenue as federal agents fire crowd control munitions at them after agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Aaron Nesheim/Sahan Journal/Catchlight Local via AP)
A large crowd gathers at the scene where federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Aaron Nesheim/Sahan Journal/Catchlight Local via AP)
A large crowd gathers at the scene where federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Aaron Nesheim/Sahan Journal/Catchlight Local via AP)
A mattress is spray painted with "R.I.P. Alex" near the site of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
A Minnesota State Trooper wears riot gear as protesters fill the site of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost via AP)
A protester screams with an injured hand while bystanders help near the site of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost via AP)
A protester is detained by a federal agent near the site of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost via AP)
Protesters advance toward federal agents with their hands up near the site of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost via AP)
A protester holds a sign outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A Minnesota National Guard vehicle blocks off a road near the scene of a shooting earlier in the day, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
People walk past a Minnesota National Guard vehicle blocking off a road near the scene of a shooting earlier in the day, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A demonstrator dressed as Donald Trump participates in a protest in response to the Minneapolis fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
