Targeted Violence, Immigration Shifts, and Federal Power Struggles Dominate End of Week 21
From the detention of a U.S. senator to the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker, political unrest and institutional friction define the close of Trump’s 21st week.
Trump’s 21st week ended with escalations in immigration enforcement, high-profile resignations, and a deepening political crisis. On Saturday, Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman was assassinated along with her husband. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot but survived. The suspect, Vance Boelter, has since been taken into custody.
Meanwhile, California Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference after attempting to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, sparking backlash and raising broader implications. A federal appeals court later ruled that President Trump could retain control of the California National Guard, following unrest in Los Angeles last week—despite recent protests remaining peaceful.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, recently returned to the United States to face charges, pleaded not guilty to human trafficking. Previous Introspective reporting detailed his wrongful deportation to El Salvador despite being a legal resident. At the same time, a judge denied the release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, permitting federal authorities under Trump to continue detaining him.
As anti-immigrant sentiment continues to rise, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ordered a pause on arrests at farms, restaurants, and hotels. The move comes as U.S. Marines in Los Angeles controversially detained a civilian—marking the first known case of military involvement in civilian arrests.
With climate change still a pressing concern, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Response Coordination Center resigned, leaving a critical emergency management post vacant. Meanwhile, the House passed legislation canceling more than $9 billion in federal funding—targeting foreign aid as well as public broadcasting. NPR and PBS, two of the impacted agencies, had previously filed suit against the Trump administration over the proposed cuts.
Finally, as violence erupts in the Middle East between Iran and Israel, nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have been suspended, adding to mounting global tensions.
Political Turmoil
Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman was assassinated Saturday along with her husband, Mark, in what authorities are calling a “politically motivated” attack. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot but survived.
“Our state lost a dear leader, and I lost the dearest of friends,” said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“She served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion and tirelessness. Minnesota’s thoughts are with her loved ones.”
In a press release, Walz further condemned the killing.
“We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint. We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree—that our state is strengthened by civil public debate,” he wrote.
“We must stand united against all forms of violence—and I call on everyone to join me in that commitment.”
Members of Congress reacted swiftly following Hortman’s assassination, with House Speaker Mike Johnson condemning the attack in a post on X.
“Such horrific political violence has no place in our society, and every leader must unequivocally condemn it,” Johnson wrote.
The entire Minnesota congressional delegation—Democrats and Republicans alike—released a joint statement in response:
“Today we speak with one voice to express our outrage, grief and condemnation of this horrible attack on public servants. There is no place in our democracy for politically motivated violence.
“We are praying for John and Yvette’s recovery, and we grieve the loss of Melissa and Mark with their family, colleagues and Minnesotans across the state.”
The alleged suspect, Vance Boelter, impersonated a police officer before killing Hortman and her husband in their home in Brooklyn Park—a Minneapolis suburb—just 90 minutes after shooting Hoffman at his residence. Authorities say Boelter had a list of additional targets, including Gov. Walz. He was the Director of Security Patrols at Praetorian Guard Security Services, a private security company based in the Twin Cities.
Meanwhile, controversy erupted in California after Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles.
“I am Senator Alex Padilla—I have questions for the secretary,” Padilla can be heard saying in video footage of the incident. Officers are seen tackling him to the ground before placing him under arrest.
At the end of the press conference, Noem addressed Padilla’s removal and criticized his conduct.
“I think everybody in America will agree that that wasn’t appropriate,” Noem said.
In response, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the incident “outrageous, dictatorial and shameful” in a post on X.
“This must end now,” Newsom wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later responded to Newsom’s remarks, accusing Padilla of engaging in “political theater” and claiming he failed to identify himself—despite video evidence showing otherwise.
“Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands,” DHS wrote in a statement.
In an interview with MSNBC, Padilla denied DHS’s claims, stating that he had been in the building for a separate meeting and was escorted by federal personnel.
“We’re, the whole time, being escorted in this federal building by somebody from the National Guard, somebody from the FBI. I’ve gone through screening. This is a federal building. And so, I tell them, ‘Let’s go listen to the press conference.’ They escort me over to that room,” Padilla said.
“The folks that were escorting me in the building walked me over. I didn’t even open the door. The door was opened for me. And I spent a few minutes in the back of the room just listening in—until the rhetoric, the political rhetoric, got to be too much to take. So, I spoke up.”
National Guard, Abrego Garcia, and Mahmoud Khalil
Following previous Introspective reports detailing President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles after civil unrest, a federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to retain control of California’s troops—overturning a lower court’s earlier decision that had sided with the state.
“The request for an administrative stay is GRANTED. The district court’s June 12, 2025, temporary restraining order is temporarily stayed pending further order,” the Court of Appeals wrote.
The California Attorney General’s Office opposed the ruling, calling it “unwarranted.”
“An administrative stay is unnecessary and unwarranted in light of the district court’s extensive reasoning—in particular, its findings of irreparable harm to the state in the absence of injunctive relief,” wrote Attorney General Rob Bonta.
“There are also serious questions regarding the appellate jurisdiction of this court over defendants’ appeal from a temporary restraining order.”
At the same time, Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a legal resident who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador—has pleaded not guilty to human trafficking charges after being returned to the United States to stand trial.
“There’s no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,” his attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, told CBS News.
According to the indictment, Abrego Garcia is accused of smuggling migrants from Latin America into the United States between 2016 and 2025—charges his attorneys have denied.
“Instead of facilitating Abrego Garcia’s return, for the past two months defendants have engaged in an elaborate, all-of-government effort to defy court orders, deny due process, and disparage Abrego Garcia,” his legal team wrote in a court filing.
In response, the Department of Justice defended its actions, stating that it had complied with the court’s directive.
“The proof is in the pudding—defendants have returned Abrego Garcia to the United States just as they were ordered to do. None of plaintiffs’ hyperbolic arguments change that or justify further proceedings in this matter,” the DOJ wrote.
Meanwhile, in a separate ruling, a federal judge denied the release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested in March. Authorities allege that Khalil failed to disclose previous employers and memberships in organizations when applying for his green card.
“That second charge has not been preliminarily enjoined by the court,” wrote District Judge Michael Farbiarz.
Khalil is expected to appeal the ruling.
ICE Raids and Marine Arrest
As tensions over anti-immigrant sentiment continue, the Trump administration directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pause arrests at farms, restaurants, and hotels—citing concerns over the impact of aggressive enforcement on key industries.
“Our great farmers and people in the hotel and leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long-time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“In many cases, the criminals allowed into our country by the VERY stupid Biden open borders policy are applying for those jobs. This is not good. We must protect our farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!”
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the directive, saying the department would carry out the president’s orders.
“We will follow the president’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” McLaughlin said.
The following day, as Marines remained stationed in Los Angeles, troops detained Marcos Leao, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran—marking the first known civilian apprehended by military personnel during the protests in California.
Leao, who was not participating in the protests, was on his way to a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility when he crossed into a restricted area and was asked to stop.
“They’re just doing their job,” he said, adding that he was treated “very fairly.”
FEMA, Foreign Aid, and Public Broadcasting
Jeremy Greenberg, head of FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center—which oversees the federal response to disasters such as earthquakes and floods—resigned Wednesday, following comments from President Trump indicating plans to downsize the agency in November.
“We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump said.
“We think after the hurricane season, we’ll start phasing it out.”
In a report by The New York Times, Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico expressed concern that the Trump administration lacks a concrete plan for FEMA’s future.
“It’s clear that states are on their own now,” Heinrich said.
“I don’t think there’s much capacity at FEMA right now, and that concerns me greatly. It’s one thing to say, ‘We need to do things a much better way.’ But what they’re saying is, ‘If you get hit by a hurricane, or a tornado, or a wildfire—you’re on your own.’”
Hurricane season officially began June 1, with an estimated 17 storms forecast for this year.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives voted 214–212 to pass legislation canceling $9.4 billion in previously approved federal funding—including $8.3 billion for foreign aid and $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides support to NPR and PBS. Previous reports from The Introspective have detailed lawsuits filed by the public broadcasters to retain their funding.
Iran
As tensions escalate in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, the Iranian government has suspended nuclear talks with the United States that were scheduled for Sunday.
“Israel’s unilateral attack on Iran is illegal, unjustifiable and a grave threat to regional stability,” Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi wrote in a post on X.
“I condemn it and urge the global community to come together to reject Israeli aggression and support de-escalation and diplomacy with one voice.”
President Trump later responded on Truth Social, claiming he had given Iran “chance after chance” to strike a deal.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter—with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal—come to an end,” he wrote.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
While the U.S. is not currently involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran, Trump told ABC News on Sunday that American involvement remains a possibility.
“It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” he said.
This has been some week!’