President Donald Trump said Tuesday he plans to de-escalate “a little bit” in Minnesota, following weeks of unrest.

Trump’s latest comments come after the fatal shooting of an armed man by federal agents Saturday in Minneapolis and pleas from state and local officials to withdraw ICE. The president explained in a Fox News interview Tuesday afternoon that the deescalation isn’t a pullback of resources but rather a change in leadership.

Trump said the ICE protests in Minnesota could be easily resolved but are being led by paid agitators and insurrectionists.

Although there’s been thousands of “hardened” criminals arrested in the state under the leadership of Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, Trump conceded maybe he wasn’t the right person to lead the mission, dubbed Operation Metro Surge.

“Bovino is very good, but he’s a pretty out there kind of a guy, and in some cases, that’s good,” Trump said on Fox News. “Maybe it wasn’t good here.”

Bovino was replaced by White House border czar Tom Homan this week to lead the ongoing illegal immigration enforcement. As tough as Homan is, Trump said, he gets along with governors and mayors.

The border czar already had conversations with Minnesota officials, Trump said, but the initial and ongoing response from state and local officials is still problematic.

“We have done so much work throughout the whole country. We don’t have any problem,” Trump said. “The only one we have is Minnesota.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressed in a post on X his conversation with Homan, which also included Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O’Hara. Frey described the discussion as productive.

“I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to end as quickly as possible,” Frey wrote.

“​​I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe.”

The Minneapolis mayor said he will remain engaged in conversations with Homan.

Trump’s border czar also wrote in a post on X about the discussions he had with Gov. Tim Walz, Frey, and top law enforcement officials. He said everyone was in agreement in supporting law enforcement officers and apprehending criminals.

“While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point and I look forward to more conversations,” Homan wrote. “President Trump has been clear: he wants American cities to be safe and secure for law-abiding residents—and they will be.”

Democrat lawmakers are leading a call for the removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) joined Democrats in support.

“I think Noem has proven to be way out of her depth. They need to get people there that actually have more training in law enforcement,” Tillis told The Epoch Times on Tuesday. “The president won, in part, based on the promise of sealing the border and stopping the flow. I mean, there’s no question that we won the election there, and now these people like Noem are squandering the opportunity to be able to codify that good policy.”

Tillis also placed blame on White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

Trump reaffirmed his sentiment towards Noem and Homan working together in Minnesota. The president credited the pair with securing the border and dropping illegal crossings to record levels.