Agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota received orders Wednesday to avoid any interaction with protesters during immigration operations spearheaded by President Donald Trump.

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The directives offer the most detailed overview to date of adjustments to ICE operations following two fatal shootings in Minneapolis, in which U.S. citizens were killed during immigration raids or protests against them.

The document also states that officers must focus their actions exclusively on immigrants with pending charges or criminal convictions, a shift from the mass raids that have generated public outcry and legal challenges in Minneapolis and other cities across the country.

According to an internal email leaked by a senior ICE official, agents are explicitly ordered not to communicate with or engage with protesters, under the argument that such exchanges only contribute to escalating tensions. The message emphasizes that the only permitted communication will be that related to operational orders issued by officers.

The White House indicated that discussions are still ongoing regarding the most effective way to conduct operations in Minnesota and clarified that no instruction should be considered final until it is officially issued.

These changes come after Trump himself stated this week that his administration is seeking to reduce tensions in Minneapolis and St. Paul, following the killing of two U.S. citizens during federal immigration operations.

In both cases, federal authorities initially labeled the victims as aggressors, a version later called into question by publicly released video footage.

Changes were also made to the chain of command. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino was replaced as head of operations in Minnesota by Tom Homan, the border czar, who announced a more targeted approach to immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, Bovino, responsible for operations in cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, was demoted and is nearing retirement.

The new instructions also stipulate that officers must use megaphones to issue orders in public spaces and verbalize each stage of the arrest procedure, with the goal of reducing confrontations.

Meanwhile, thousands of residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota’s most populous city, supported a general strike to demand an end to violence by immigration authorities and the withdrawal of ICE from the state.

The situation surrounding the agency’s actions intensified on January 7, when 37-year-old American Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed during an operation in Minneapolis.

Subsequently, the protests escalated and culminated in the fatal shooting of another citizen, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, during a raid targeting an undocumented immigrant.

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