AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Last night on Air Force One.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: If they want help, they have to ask for it.
RASCOE: President Trump said he told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem not to intervene in protests in Democratic-led cities unless it's at the request of local authorities.
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TRUMP: If they want help, they'll ask. But they have to say please.
RASCOE: He also bemoaned that Democratic cities are, quote, "always complaining." This is the latest response to the strong public pushback over his administration's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents last weekend. Funding for DHS has become a sticking point. Joining me now to talk about this is NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Good morning, Tam.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So let's start with Trump's comments last night. What more can you tell us?
KEITH: Well, reporters were asking him to clarify something that he had posted earlier in the day on social media. But I will be perfectly honest here. He didn't really clarify what this means in practical terms. He wrote that he had instructed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to protect federal property, but not to help local governments with protests and/or riots, he said. But because - but here's the thing, the only thing that city leaders in Minneapolis and elsewhere have been asking for is for ICE and CPB to leave because they don't consider the intense federal presence to be helpful at all. And in Trump's post, he went on to add a warning, quote, "beware - ICE, Border Patrol" and "if necessary, our military will be extremely powerful and tough in the protection of our federal property." So is there a de-escalation embedded in that bluster? Maybe. But when it comes to immigration enforcement, it is important to watch what the administration does and not just what the president says.
RASCOE: OK. Well, the House comes back tomorrow and is expected to take up a compromise spending package that the Senate passed on Friday. We are in a partial government shutdown, even though it doesn't really feel like that yet. This package would only fund DHS for two weeks because Democrats want more time to negotiate new restrictions on how federal immigration agents can operate. Like, what changes do they want?
KEITH: They want immigration enforcement reined in. No more roving patrols of ICE agents grabbing people off the streets or using administrative warrants, which don't require a judge to sign off. They want agents to remove their masks and identify themselves. And they also want to change the rules for use of force to more closely match local and other federal law enforcement.
RASCOE: So how receptive are Republican lawmakers to this?
KEITH: You know, President Trump didn't dismiss these ideas out of hand but said that it would be the subject of talks in coming days. Some Republicans in Congress are already a hard no, saying these changes would just take the country back to Biden-era immigration policies. And then there are others who have serious concerns with what they've been seeing on America's streets and are open to some changes in policy. This two-week period for negotiations is going to overlap with hearings where top immigration officials are going to have to answer tough questions, which could keep all of this top of mind.
RASCOE: So, Tam, a federal judge has ordered the government release 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father from a Texas detention center. Both live in Minneapolis, and their case has sparked outrage nationwide. You've read the judge's order. Do you think pointed is a good description of his wording?
KEITH: I think that may be an understatement. Let me just read some of this order from U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, a Clinton appointee. Of Ramos and his father, he writes, they seek nothing more than some modicum of due process and the rule of law, adding that federal agency use of administrative warrants violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, and, quote, "the case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children," unquote. In a statement, DHS spokesperson Patricia McLaughlin again defended the administration's actions in this case and suggested if families want to avoid situations like this, they should self-deport.
RASCOE: Finally, I understand that you, like many political reporters, decided to go see "Melania." This is the film about the first lady. What did you think?
KEITH: There were a lot of shots of her feet, which were always in five-inch stiletto heels. My main takeaway is that this wasn't a documentary. It was another piece of carefully curated image-making from Melania Trump, who was also an executive producer of the film. There really were no unguarded moments. Not a single shot without her hair and makeup absolutely perfect. No reflections or even acknowledgment of the divisions roiling the nation. And you can't talk about this film without mentioning that Amazon paid $40 million to acquire it and another 35 million to promote it, which is essentially unheard of for a film of this type. There were about 10 other people in the theater with me last night, and when it ended, the woman behind me clapped excitedly and said that she should win an Oscar.
RASCOE: That's NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Thanks, Tam.
KEITH: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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