White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt gave a briefing Monday afternoon to, in part, distill the latest on the Trump administration's plans to bring law and order to Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the first official White House press briefing since Saturday's shooting of leftist protester Alex Pretti by a Customs and Border Patrol agent, and the weekend's events were clearly top of mind for everyone in the briefing room.
Leavitt spoke first of the administration's disgust for the efforts of Democrats and hard-left agitators to disrupt "the will of the people;" President Trump has spoken previously of his dismay at the vile treatment of federal immigration officers who are simply carrying out what he was elected to do. Leavitt blasted the left for its "deadly" defiance of those efforts.
She also laid out the path for restoring order in Minnesota, including the demand that elected officials in the state (i.e., Democrats) turn over illegal aliens and deploy local law enforcement to help federal officials in rounding up illegals still loose in the community.
.@POTUS spoke with Gov Walz directly this morning and he has outlined a clear & simple path to restoring law and order in Minnesota.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 26, 2026
1. All Democrat leaders should turn over all criminal illegal aliens currently incarcerated in their prisons & jails to federal authorities, along… pic.twitter.com/328ryPiXXx
.@POTUS spoke with Gov Walz directly this morning and he has outlined a clear & simple path to restoring law and order in Minnesota.
1. All Democrat leaders should turn over all criminal illegal aliens currently incarcerated in their prisons & jails to federal authorities, along with any illegal aliens with active warrants or known criminal histories for immediate deportation
2. State & local law enforcement must agree to turn over ALL illegal aliens who are arrested by local police
3. Local police must assist federal law enforcement in apprehending and detaining illegal aliens who are wanted for crimes
Leavitt also urged Congress to pass immediate legislation to end sanctuary cities "once and for all," noting that American cities should be safe sanctuaries for "law abiding citizens only."
She also called on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) to "continue to do the right thing and work with President Trump to keep the American people safe." As RedState's Ward Clark reported, the president and Walz apparently had a productive call Monday morning, with the president saying the two were "on a similar wavelength."
SEE ALSO: New: Trump Ignores the Online Noise, Makes Big Change in Minnesota Immigration Operation
Bipartisan Breakthrough? Trump Praises Walz Call, Collaboration
Another big development Monday, as reported by our own Bonchie, was the assignment of White House Border Czar Tom Homan to oversee federal immigration efforts in Minnesota, with direct report to President Trump. This, said Leavitt at her Monday briefing, was not a rebuke of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who oversees both ICE and CBP, noting Noem still enjoys the confidence of the president and is busy coordinating federal disaster response efforts in the wake of Winter Storm Fern.
Speaking of Tom Homan, Leavitt had a great clap back for a reporter who questioned Homan's new assignment. It turns out that Homan was the subject of a glowing 2016 Washington Post article that lauded his efforts to deport illegals and noted that Homan had received an award from President Obama for his service. And Karoline brough the receipts.
🚨BARACK OBAMA HONORED TOM HOMAN!
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 26, 2026
Washington Post headline from 2016L "Meet the man the White House has honored for deporting illegal immigrants"
"It was former President Barack Hussein Obama who awarded a medal to Mr. Homan."
Same deportation policies, new Trump Derangement. pic.twitter.com/gPfBXORT37
In possibly the most important moment of her briefing, Leavitt reminded the media of the human cost of violent illegals being loose on the streets of American communities, saying that "the lives of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray" continue to matter to President Trump and remain "an utmost priority" for him.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump, illegal immigration into our great country has virtually stopped. Despite the radical left's lies, new legislation wasn't needed to secure our border, just a new president.
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