The killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good on the streets of Minneapolis exposed a strategic failure in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Although sometimes necessary, public apprehensions are messy, politically radioactive, and prone to error. That’s why Trump border czar Tom Homan has stepped in to order Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pull back, withdrawing 700 federal law enforcement personnel from Minneapolis.

With Democrats trying to hem in ICE nationwide, how can Trump deliver on his promises on illegal immigration?

There is another path — one that deports millions without street arrests, protests, or riots. It relies on leverage and paperwork. And it sits squarely within the authority of the current administration.

The numbers show the current strategy is not working. In Trump’s first year, federal agencies arrested and deported roughly 230,000 people from inside the United States. Another 270,000 were turned away at the border, and about 70,000 remain in ICE custody. On net, that amounts to less than 2% of the estimated 14 million people living in the country illegally when Trump took office.

Even with interior removals now running roughly three times higher than during Trump’s first term, the totals only match levels reached under George W. Bush’s final years and Barack Obama’s first term, despite there being millions more unlawful residents today.

If ICE were targeting only hardened criminals and gang members, the political backlash would be marginal. Instead, data show that between 30% and 50% of recent ICE arrestees have no criminal........

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