This week there was some positive news, including the release of Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old boy from Minneapolis who was detained along with his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, as they returned home from school. Also, a judge postponed the cancellation of TPS for 350,000 Haitians while lawsuits filed against the Trump administration by those affected proceed.

Liam and his father were sent to a detention center in Texas prior to their deportation to Ecuador, but a federal judge in Texas ordered their release while condemning the cruel immigration policies applied, even though they traumatize children.

And indeed, Trump and his extremist immigration policy continue to suffer setbacks in the courts and in public opinion. Various polls conclude that the majority of Americans believe that Trump's strategy has gone too far. Although a Republican majority continues to support Trump on this issue, that support has eroded somewhat, especially after the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by an immigration agent in Minnesota. On Wednesday, the two brothers of Renee Nicole Good, the first U.S. citizen shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, testified before a special congressional forum led by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California. They condemned the abuse of power by ICE and CBP, offered a different perspective on their sister than the “domestic terrorist” image authorities tried to portray, and spoke about the impact of her death on their family and the community. In an interview with NBC News, Trump discusses Good and Pretti. Initially, in both Good's and Pretti's cases, the government labeled the victims “domestic terrorists.” In the case of Pretti, who legally carried a weapon that he never drew or brandished, Trump's advisor, Stephen Miller,He called him a “murderer,” and Greg Bovino, the now-removed Border Patrol Commander in the operations that began in October, asserted without evidence that Pretti was going to “massacre” federal agents.

Seeing the videos that contradict the government and the national outrage over Pretti’s death, Trump has reluctantly tried to soften his message.

But even so, he still says something negative. He stated that neither Pretti nor Good were “angels,” “but I’m still not happy about what happened.”

“I’m not happy about the two incidents.” The shootings shouldn’t have happened, he said. Asked directly if the deaths of Good and Pretti were justified, Trump declared “no.” “It shouldn’t have happened. It was a very sad incident, two incidents.”

700 CBP and ICE agents are being removed from Minneapolis; DHS Announces Agents Will Wear Body Cameras

Following the deaths of Good and Pretti, deaths the government continues to try to justify, some measures have also been announced that seek to quell criticism by demonstrating that they are doing “something.”

For example, DHS Secretary Kristy Noem announced that all agents of her agency stationed in Minnesota will wear body cameras and that this will later be implemented nationwide.

In 2022, former President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring all federal agents to wear body cameras.

But Trump repealed it upon assuming his second term.

Furthermore, with or without body cameras, masked federal agents continue to act violently.

The press reported that agents detained observers at gunpoint who were following them but not interfering with their work.

Likewise, school officials denounce that the operations are now focused on homes and school zones to the detriment of children and the school community.

“Students are afraid to come to school and parents are afraid to bring them,” said Brenda Lewis, superintendent of Fridley Public Schools. “Staff come to work wondering if today will be the day something happens in one of our buildings,” she added.

On the other hand, Border Czar Tom Homan announced that 700 federal agents will be withdrawn from Minnesota, meaning that instead of 3,000, there will be 2,300. It's still almost four times the number of Minneapolis police officers, which is about 600. And these are officers who weren't requested by the state government. "There's less smoke in the air," said Governor Tim Walz, referring to the tear gas and other irritants used by officers, "but I think it's more chilling than last week because of the movement toward schools, toward children." Arrests and deportations quadruple:UCLA

“The quadrupling (4x) of arrests resulted in an even greater (4.6x) increase in deportations due to the increase in detention space and the decrease in releases. The government practically tripled the number of detention beds used for people arrested within the United States,” concluded the report from the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, as reported by La Opinion.

Quote of the Week

“The completely surreal scenes taking place on the streets of Minneapolis are inexplicable. This is not just a bad day, a difficult week, or isolated incidents. These encounters with federal agents are changing the community and many lives, including ours, forever.” Testimony of Luke Granger, brother of Renee Good, before a special congressional panel.