President Donald Trump and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) struck a new tone Monday after a phone call about a deportation drive in Minneapolis that has left two American citizens dead.

Trump And Walz Signal Tentative De-Escalation

According to a Reuters report, Trump said he was "on a similar wavelength" with the governor after deploying thousands of agents to the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. Walz's office called the talk "productive," saying Trump agreed to consider reducing the federal presence and to direct the Department of Homeland Security to ensure Minnesota can investigate the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who also spoke with Trump, said the president agreed the "present situation can't continue" and that some agents will begin leaving the Twin Cities starting Tuesday.

Controversial Border Patrol Leader Reassigned To California

A senior administration official told Reuters that Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino will leave Minnesota and that Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, will assume control of operations. Later Monday, another person familiar with the matter said Bovino had been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and reassigned to his former job as chief patrol agent in California's El Centro sector, where he is expected to retire soon. A second source confirmed he would return there.

The Atlantic first reported Bovino's demotion, citing Homeland Security Department officials. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin disputed that account.

Deportation Drive Faces Mounting Public Backlash Nationwide

The outreach comes amid backlash to "Operation Metro Surge," which sent about 3,000 officers to Minnesota and has already seen two U.S. citizens, including Pretti, shot and killed by federal agents. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found 39% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of immigration and 58% say Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have gone "too far."

Trump in June last year promised Americans "the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History," followed by surveys which showed that many Americans oppose aggressive workplace raids, even as some still support his plans for an expanded border wall.

Image via Shutterstock/ Joey Sussman