First Lady Melania Trump has called for peaceful protests in Minneapolis as demonstrators continue to flood the streets in the Minnesota city in the wake of the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by a federal agent. “I’m calling for unity. I know my husband, the president, had a great call yesterday with the governor and the mayor, and they’re working together to make it peaceful and without riots,” Ms Trump said on Tuesday (January 27) on Fox & Friends.

“I’m against the violence, so please, if you protest, protest in peace. And we need to unify in this time,” she added. Her plea comes a day after Donald Trump said he had “very good” calls with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and agreed to pull some Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from the state. The anti-ICE protests have been raging since agents descended on the city last month, but have intensified following the fatal shootings of 37-year-old Pretti on Saturday (January 24) and Renee Nicole Good, also 37, on January 7.

Trump administration officials claim the shots were fired “defensively” against Pretti, who federal authorities said had a semi-automatic handgun and was “violently” resisting officers. However, bystander videos appear to show Pretti holding only a phone. The officials’ version has also been challenged by Pretti’s family, who attacked what they called the administration’s “sickening lies,” which were “reprehensible and disgusting”.

Mayor Frey said he saw multiple bystander videos of the shooting and described seeing “more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents, shooting him to death.”

Customs and Border Protection’s Commander at Large, Greg Bovino, has also been removed from his role in the immigration crackdown in the city. Mr Trump also wrote on Truth Social on Monday that he had sidelined Kristi Noem and would be sending long-time rival Tom Homan to lead the ICE operation.

Mr Trump wrote on his favourite social media platform: “I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.”

On Monday, it was also revealed that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has agreed to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Melania Trump’s appearance on Fox News comes as her documentary, Melania, steered by disgraced director Brett Ratner and licensed by Amazon as part of a reported $40 million (£29 million) deal, premieres this weekend. The film documents the 20 days preceding Donald Trump’s return to power in January 2025.