US President Donald Trump's pointman has announced the end of ramped-up immigration operations in Minnesota that triggered outrage following the killing of two US citizens.
Thousands of federal agents have in recent weeks conducted aggressive raids and arrests in what the administration claims are targeted missions against criminals.
"I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude," Trump official Tom Homan told a briefing in Minneapolis on Thursday.
"A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue through the next week."
The operations have sparked mass protests in Minneapolis, and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti less than three weeks apart last month, led to a wave of criticism.
Homan raised the prospect that the officers would deploy to another location but gave no details, as speculation is rife about which city might be targeted next.
"In the next week, we're going deploy the officers here on detail, back to their home stations or other areas of the country where they are needed. But we're going to continue to force immigration law," he said.
Homan added the operation has "greatly reduced the number of targets for enforcement action," later disclosing that about 4,000 arrests have been conducted since late December when Trump directed the mass buildup of thousands of immigration officers.
Opposition Democrats have called for sweeping reforms to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, including ending mobile patrols, prohibiting agents from concealing their faces and requiring warrants.
Last month, Trump announced that Homan would arrive in the state and "will report directly to me."
The high-profile assignment suggested that the 79-year-old Republican president is seeking to regain control over a rapidly deteriorating political and security situation.
Minneapolis has become ground zero in the clash between Trump and growing numbers of Americans over his nationwide immigration crackdown.
Huge rallies have taken place in Minneapolis to protest the raids and the point-blank shooting by an ICE agent of protester Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, on January 7.
On January 24, immigration agents gunned down Alex Jeffrey Pretti, also 37, after having already tackled him to the ground.
Like Good, the intensive care unit nurse was a US citizen.
