President Donald Trump admitted Wednesday that he learned his administration could use a "softer touch" on immigration after weeks of protests in Minneapolis over its immigration enforcement operations. 

Minneapolis has been a hotspot for Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the wake of revelations of large-scale public fraud linked to the Somali expat community in Minnesota. Tensions were further heightened last month as two protesters were shot and killed as they attempted to interfere with federal agents. 

Trump acknowledged the response to his immigration policies during an interview with NBC anchor Tom Llamas, but said his response would still need to be firm given how dangerous the illegal migrants are.

“I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough,” Trump said in an excerpt from the “NBC Nightly News” interview. “These are really hard criminals. But look, I’ve called the people. I’ve called the mayor. Spoke to them. Had great conversations with them, and then I see them ranting and raving out there literally as if a call wasn’t made.” 

The comment comes just hours after Trump border czar Tom Homan said 700 federal law enforcement officers will leave Minnesota in the near future. As of late last month, there were roughly 3,000 federal immigration officers in Minnesota.

The president's interview will air on NBC Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.