Trump border czar Tom Homan promises more targeted immigration enforcement in Minnesota

U.S. border czar Tom Homan, newly installed as commander of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, promised targeted and strategic enforcements focusing on unauthorized residents with a criminal history.

Following weeks of daily clashes between protesters and immigration agents, and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens so far this month during such confrontations, senior Trump administration officials seemed to be recalibrating their approach in Minnesota.

But while Homan made mention of a potential "drawdown of the number of people here," there were no specific announcements on that front on Wednesday.

"I do not want to hear that everything that's been done here has been perfect. Nothing's ever perfect," he said.

Homan's comments on the focus of the deportation efforts seemed to hew closely to a newly issued internal memo from a high-ranking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official reviewed by Reuters late on Wednesday. It directs federal officers to refrain from any unnecessary communication and engagement with "agitators" so as to avoid "inflaming the situation."

ICE officers have been accused of randomly stopping people on the street to demand documented proof of legal U.S. residence or citizenship, and engaging with protesters.

Homan, who arrived on Monday, said "great conversations" took place with the state and local officials he met, saying that while differences in opinion remained, all agreed that "community safety is paramount."

"You can't fix problems if you don't have discussions," he said.

Despite Homan's comments, Trump in a social media post late on Wednesday warned that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, was "playing with fire" by continuing to insist that city authorities would play no role in enforcing federal immigration laws.

On Wednesday, Trump also baselessly suggested that Ilhan Omar, a Congress member from Minnesota, staged an attack on her the previous night when she held a town hall meeting amid the tensions.

"She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her," he told ABC News.

Social media posts from the man arrested for spraying Omar with liquid from a syringe suggest he was a Trump supporter who had made racially charged posts in the past.

The U.S. Justice Department charged a man Thursday in connection to the incident. Anthony Kazmierczak faces a charge of forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding and intimidating Omar, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

Authorities determined that the substance was water and apple cider vinegar, according to an affidavit.