LEILA FADEL, HOST:
As Minnesota awaits the next turn in the Trump administration's immigration surge, many of the nation's mayors are monitoring the situation. They've gathered for meetings near the White House. Eve Zuckoff from member station WBUR was there and reports that mayors of both parties sounded alarms.
EVE ZUCKOFF, BYLINE: The U.S. Conference of Mayors' annual meeting kicked off with about 50 of the 270 mayors in attendance standing side by side for a press conference. Mayor Jim Hovland, a Democrat from Edina, Minnesota, issued a warning.
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JIM HOVLAND: I would tell you that in Minnesota, there is trouble in the republic, and it's illustrative of what could happen anywhere.
ZUCKOFF: Conference leaders released a statement over the weekend saying that after the death of a second American citizen, de-escalation was needed to end the, quote, "unnecessary chaos" in Minneapolis. Republicans shared the concern. One, Mayor Jerry Dyer of Fresno, California, said he supports President Trump's policies at the border. But the former police chief said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents lack training for cities.
JERRY DYER: They're being rejected by communities. Why? Because of the policing tactics that are being utilized that have been abandoned by local law enforcement 30 years ago.
ZUCKOFF: Asked about the call for de-escalation, the White House pointed NPR to remarks Monday by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said Trump doesn't want to see people getting hurt or killed in the streets. She added, quote, "this tragedy" resulted from, quote, "hostile resistance" by Minnesota Democrats. But Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, a Republican from the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville, pointed to ICE.
ELIZABETH KAUTZ: With the introduction of ICE, our cities are no longer safe. Crime is not reduced. And what happens is that the people of Minnesota are now being harassed, intimidated and cruelly treated.
ZUCKOFF: Kautz, of Polynesian descent, said she now carries her passport in case she's stopped.
For NPR News, I'm Eve Zuckoff in Washington.
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