EDITORIAL: Nation reels from second deadly ICE shooting

Enough is enough. With two people now dead in Minneapolis, it’s time for everyone involved to do what’s necessary to defuse the tension and to avoid further tragedy.

On Saturday, ICE agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was involved in a protest and became embroiled in a confrontation with immigration officers. Federal officials said Mr. Pretti had “violently resisted” and was armed with a gun — although the former was not confirmed by video and the latter is not illegal. The death comes three weeks after the shooting by an ICE agent of Renee Good during a similar protest in Minneapolis.

Obstructing or hindering law enforcement officials carrying out their duties is against the law, and those who engage in such behavior deserve to be prosecuted. Anti-ICE protesters have a constitutional right to peacefully express their displeasure with immigration raids, but that doesn’t include engaging in violent or destructive behavior.

Yet it doesn’t help the cause of federal immigration enforcement to have ICE agents involved in two fatal shootings in a matter of weeks in the same city. Instead, the deadly tragedies highlight an immediate need for strategies that reduce tensions, mitigate potential violence and increase cooperation between federal and local agencies.

There were hopeful signs Monday. After a conversation with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, President Donald Trump took a conciliatory tone. “It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media. A statement from Gov. Walz’s office revealed that the president “agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals.”

Mr. Trump ran on a platform of aggressively enforcing immigration laws, particularly in regard to those here illegally who have committed other crimes. Many American voters were understandably frustrated with the Biden administration’s de facto open border policy, which, the Pew Research Center reports, led to a record number of illegal immigrants in the country.

But even many supporters of the White House’s agenda will have second thoughts as a result of these repeated human tragedies. And that carries significant political risks for the Trump administration as the midterm elections near. A recent New York Times/Sienna poll found that, while Mr. Trump had the support of a majority of respondents on his handling of the border with Mexico, 61 percent of those polled say ICE tactics have “gone too far.”

Mr. Trump and Gov. Walz must work toward cooperative efforts to stabilize the situation in Minneapolis and to investigate both deadly shootings. Now is not the time for continued provocations.