Minneapolis surge ending, border czar Tom Homan says

President Donald Trump told NBC News that he learned his administration could use a "softer touch" on immigration.

Trump said he was the one who ordered the 700 federal agents to be drawn down from Minnesota, claiming the administration has seen more cooperation from local officials.

The move came nearly two weeks following the shooting death of Alex Pretti by federal agents. Trump was asked what he learned from the operations in Minneapolis.

"I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough," Trump responded, alleging, "We're dealing with really hard criminals."

-ABC News' Isabella Murray, Emily Chang and Michelle Stoddart

A majority of American voters say DHS Secretary Kristi Noem should be removed from her position, following the death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found.

Fifty-eight percent of voters said Noem should be removed, including 91% of Democrats and 62% of independents, according to the poll. Roughly three-quarters of Republicans (74%) say Noem should remain in her job.

The DHS secretary has come under fire following her comments on the Pretti shooting where she initially claimed, without evidence, that the nurse was trying "to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement." She later walked back her comments, contending, "we were using the best information we had at the time."

Additionally, 61% of voters surveyed said they think the Trump administration has not given an honest account of Pretti's shooting and killing.

The poll was conducted among 1,191 self-identified registered voters nationwide from Jan. 29, five days after Pretti's shooting, to Feb. 2. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points for the overall sample, which is larger among subgroups.

-ABC News' Emily Guskin

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released a statement following Wednesday morning's announcement of a reduction in federal agents in the state.

Frey said that having 2,000 ICE officers "is not de-escalation," and cited the increased fear and intimidation that the city has endured in the last month.

"My message to the White House has been consistent – Operation Metro Surge has been catastrophic for our residents and businesses. It needs to end immediately," he said.

-ABC News' Janice McDonald

A group of Minnesota school districts and educators sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, alleging that a surge in immigration enforcement at or near school property has created a "pervasive climate of fear" that is driving down attendance and has rescinded long-standing policy that protected schools.

The school districts along with a teachers union have asked a federal judge to block the government from carrying out immigration enforcement operations at or near school property without a judicial warrant.

"In recent weeks, the administration has launched 'Operation Metro Surge' to accelerate its immigration enforcement efforts in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, which has resulted in federal agents becoming an increasingly common presence at or near schools and school bus stops," the lawyers representing the school districts and educators wrote.

As a result of Operation Metro Surge, school districts and teachers across Minnesota have reported "significant reductions in attendance," the complaint alleges.

According to the lawsuit, the federal government has for more than 30 years restricted immigration enforcement near schools and other "sensitive locations."

"The federal government has long recognized that it could effectively enforce immigration laws without, in its words, ‘denying or limiting... children access to their schools,'" the lawsuit claims.

-ABC News' Laura Romero