First lady Melania Trump issued a rare public appeal for unity on Jan. 27 as protests and unrest continued in Minneapolis following fatal shootings by federal immigration agents earlier this month.
Her remarks came amid weeks of demonstrations in the Twin Cities region and mounting scrutiny of the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump emphasized cooperation between federal and local leaders and urged calm as tensions escalated across the city.
Trump said she opposed violence and encouraged peaceful demonstrations as protests expanded in response to the shootings.
“I’m against the violence,” Melania Trump said Tuesday morning.
“So if, please if you protest, protest in peace, and we need to unify in these times.”
She referenced coordination between President Donald Trump, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, saying they were working together to restore peace and prevent further unrest.
The first lady’s statement marked one of her few public comments on current events during the president’s second term.
Her remarks followed the deaths of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, and Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old poet and mother of three, both killed by federal law enforcement officers in separate incidents this month.
A third individual was shot on Jan. 14 and survived, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Good’s killing triggered sustained protests against aggressive immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota.
Federal authorities described the operation as the largest immigration enforcement effort ever conducted, with roughly 3,000 agents deployed and more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants detained.
Border Patrol agents shot Pretti on Jan. 24 near downtown Minneapolis, while an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Good on Jan. 7 in a residential neighborhood.
State officials said some federal agents would begin leaving the city starting Jan. 27.
The White House also dispatched border czar Tom Homan to oversee operations, while Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino was expected to depart Minneapolis.
Trump’s comments coincided with heightened attention surrounding her upcoming documentary, which chronicles the 20 days leading up to the president’s 2025 inauguration and marks the debut project of her production company, Muse Films.