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Federal Agents to Reduce Presence in Minnesota Amid Immigration Crackdown
Federal authorities will immediately withdraw 700 law enforcement personnel from Minnesota, according to Border Czar Tom Homan. The announcement on Wednesday followed discussions between federal officials and Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell regarding a possible de-escalation of the monthslong immigration crackdown in the state.
Despite Homan's announcement, Schnell stated that details on the drawdown remained "sketchy," with no immediate signs of a reduction in federal forces. Homan indicated that approximately 2,000 agents would remain in Minnesota after the reduction. The immigration crackdown, dubbed "Operation Metro Surge," has been ongoing for several months.
The situation in Minnesota has been tense, particularly following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents in January. Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse, was shot and killed on Jan. 24, and his death was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner. Prior to that, Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, was fatally shot on Jan. 7. The shootings led to clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Minneapolis.
President Trump addressed the situation, stating his administration could use "a little bit of a softer touch" on immigration, while adding, "But you still have to be tough," according to NBC.
In other news, the Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a bid by California Republicans to block a newly redrawn congressional map backed by Democrats and endorsed by voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The move allows the state to move forward with a map enacted by Proposition 50, approved in November, that could potentially allow Democrats to flip five seats currently held by Republicans. The court did not explain its decision in a single-sentence order.
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has moved out of his royal residence, Windsor's Royal Lodge. Andrew will now live permanently on the king's privately owned Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, over 100 miles away from his previous home. Buckingham Palace has not commented on Mountbatten-Windsor's relocation. Prince Andrew was previously stripped of his "prince" title, per Buckingham Palace.
In Russia, stand-up comedian Artemy Ostanin was sentenced to almost six years in a penal colony for a joke about a war veteran. Ostanin told a story on stage last year about bumping into a disabled ex-soldier on the metro, who he called a "legless skater." A Moscow court found Ostanin guilty of inciting hatred and insulting religious feelings over a separate joke about religion. Judge Olesya Men announced, "The final sentence for Ostanin is imprisonment for five years and nine months in a general regime penal colony."
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