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Democrats secured victories in two special elections for the State House on Tuesday, as the state reels from controversy over and federal immigration enforcement.
Democrats Shelley Buck and Meg Luger-Nikolai won special elections for Districts 47A and 64A. Their victories mean the GOP and Democrats are now tied for seats in the Minnesota State House at 67-67.
Luger-Nikolai won her race with 95% of the vote, while Buck ran uncontested.
The State House is currently operating under a power-sharing agreement between Republicans and Democrats. The House Speaker is still Republican Lisa DeMuth, but most committees will have co-chairs from both parties.
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The elections came just days after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday. Pretti is the second U.S. citizen to be killed by federal agents in Minneapolis this month.
President Donald Trump’s administration issued a report on the timeline of the shooting to Congress on Tuesday.
Border Patrol agents and Customs and Border Protection officers were active in Minneapolis Saturday morning as part of Operation Metro Surge.
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Officials said Border Patrol agents tried to take Pretti into custody, but he “resisted,” and a struggle ensued.
During the struggle, an unidentified Border Patrol agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times, according to the report.
About five seconds later, the two federal agents opened fire.
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After the shooting, a Border Patrol agent confirmed he had Pretti’s gun and subsequently “cleared and secured” the gun in his vehicle, according to the report.
The shooting triggered Trump to shake up federal leadership in Minnesota, sending White House Border Czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis.
The White House insists that there is no change in strategy in Minnesota, however, and they are not “backing down” from immigration enforcement.
“Tom Homan is a patriot with decades of experience effectively protecting American communities and deporting criminal illegal aliens,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital.
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“Any left-wing agitator or criminal illegal alien who thinks Tom’s presence is a victory for their cause is sadly mistaken,” Jackson continued. “The Trump Administration will never waver in standing up for law and order and protecting the American people.”
Despite the change to bring in Homan, Trump has rejected calls to fire Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem,
Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
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