NEW: Melania Trump Joins Fox News To Issue Rare Statement On Minneapolis Chaos

First Lady Melania Trump issued a rare political message Tuesday, urging calm and unity as unrest continues to roil Minnesota following deadly clashes tied to immigration enforcement.

“I’m against the violence, so please, if you protest, protest in peace,” Melania Trump said during an appearance on Fox & Friends.

The first lady, who immigrated to the United States from Slovenia, seldom weighs in publicly on political matters or her husband’s job. But while promoting her upcoming movie, she addressed the escalating turmoil and praised what she described as productive coordination between state and federal leaders.

She pointed to what she called a “great call” President Donald Trump held Monday with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats.

“They’re working together to make it peaceful and without riots,” she said.

Her comments underscored how sharply divided the country has become over immigration enforcement and the violence surrounding recent protests.

Tensions exploded Saturday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a VA nurse, during an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis. Video from the scene shows multiple agents surrounding Pretti. After he was disarmed of a handgun holstered on his belt, he was shot several times by at least one agent and pronounced dead at the scene.

🚨Melania Trump dropping a powerful call for UNITY amid the chaos in Minnesota and across the country!

While leftist mobs try to tear everything apart, terrorizing federal agents and turning streets into war zones… our First Lady steps up with grace!pic.twitter.com/a3t7DMn5hs

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) January 27, 2026

The killing came just over two weeks after another fatal incident involving ICE. Poet Renee Good was shot and killed when video showed her accelerating her vehicle toward an agent while blocking a street during a separate protest.

Both incidents were captured on camera and have sparked intense backlash, with sharply different interpretations depending on political perspective.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has forcefully defended the agents involved. During a Saturday press conference, she labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist.”

President Donald Trump publicly backed the agent who shot Good after footage showed the officer being struck by her vehicle. He has not extended the same level of defense in the Pretti case.

Instead, Trump signaled a shake-up in Minnesota, announcing Monday that White House border czar Tom Homan would take charge of operations there.

“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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.”

According to a New York Times report, Trump later grilled Noem and DHS special government employee Corey Lewandowski during a late-night White House meeting. By the end of the night, Noem was reportedly directed to refocus on securing the southern border, while Homan assumed control of the Minnesota crackdown.

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s deputy, Todd Blanche, pushed back when asked whether Noem’s description of Pretti fit the legal definition of domestic terrorism.

“Look, I don’t think anybody thinks that they were comparing what happened on Saturday to the legal definition of domestic terrorism,” Blanche said, after first criticizing Minnesota’s Democratic leadership.

“And you’re right, to the extent there’s body cam or other videos that witnesses are still providing to us. So I’m not describing it as anything except for a tragedy,” he added.

Public opinion remains deeply divided. A YouGov/Economist poll released Jan. 13, conducted after Good’s death but before Pretti was killed, found that just 34 percent of Americans believe ICE operations are making the country safer, while 47 percent said they make the U.S. less safe.

The split is stark along party lines, with 77 percent of Republicans saying ICE makes the country safer, compared with just 3 percent of Democrats who agree.

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