Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who President Donald Trump frequently relies on to shape immigration policy, was noticeably absent at an important meeting between several administration officials and the president himself on Monday evening.

The meeting, which lasted for at least two hours, included Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, her primary adviser Corey Lewandowski, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Communications Director Steven Cheung.

The Oval Office sit-down was held to discuss the public backlash to Trump’s violent immigration raids, as well as the administration’s false and derogatory comments regarding the killing of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents last weekend.

Video of the incident shows that Pretti never acted violently toward the agents who attacked him, despite being sprayed in the face with chemicals and thrown, then held, to the ground. Although he was armed, Pretti never reached for his weapon, and agents attacked him before they were aware of its existence. They also appeared to have removed his gun while restraining him before they shot him several times, and refused to give him medical care for several minutes after he was shot.

Several administration officials, including Noem and Miller, disparaged Pretti in the hours and days after his killing. Noem, for example, described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” to the media, and baselessly claimed the ICU nurse had planned to “massacre” immigration agents in the city. Miller also used those terms to describe Pretti, and called him an “assassin” on social media, due to him having a concealed weapon, which Pretti was legally allowed to carry.

Trump also appeared to blame Pretti for his own killing in a post on Truth Social, again citing Pretti’s possession of a concealed firearm. However, as it became clear that most Americans weren’t buying the administration’s brazenly false narratives on the killing, Trump has attempted to soften his description of what happened.

Although they used similar terms to describe Pretti, Noem and Miller now seem to be at odds with each other, with Miller blaming Noem for the violent tactics in Minnesota, and Noem claiming that Miller was responsible for the disparaging terminology they both used.

According to reporting from Axios, at least four White House sources confirm that Miller pushed the usage of the “massacre” claim against Pretti. Although she technically outranks Miller by being a cabinet secretary, Noem also appears to be throwing him under the bus, telling the publication that she made the comments she did about Pretti because Miller told her to.

“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen,” Noem is reported to have said.

Miller’s views on immigration have largely been adopted by Trump, both within his first and second terms. Miller was a primary architect of Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy on migrant families entering the country, under which thousands of children were forcibly separated from their parents, some for numerous years.

He has continued to have the president’s ear when it comes to shaping immigration policy — so his absence during Monday’s meeting is quite telling, and may indicate that Trump no longer views his presence as advantageous.

Since the killings of Pretti and Renee Nicole Good — a Minneapolis resident who was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents earlier this month — public support for Trump has cratered, as has opinion on DHS-based immigration agencies. Polling in January has shown that support for abolishing ICE is at its highest rate ever, while other polling shows stark opposition to increasing funding for the agency as well as a net-negative favorability rating for ICE.

Trump is reportedly deeply upset with how the public now perceives him on the issue of immigration and his plans for mass deportation. On Tuesday, he indicated to the press that his agencies wouldn’t be as aggressive as they have been.

“We’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” he said, though he didn’t go into details on how.

Miller and Noem are still members of the administration, but they are both likely on shaky ground.

There has been some fallout for the administration. Earlier this week, Customs and Border Patrol commander at large Gregory Bovino, who had led aspects of “Operation Metro Surge” in the Twin Cities, was demoted to his previous California-based post after he attracted public scrutiny for his disparaging remarks about Pretti’s character. Bovino is expected to resign sometime soon.

Noem also faces pressure from Democrats in Congress, who are calling for her resignation. Democrats in the House have filed articles of impeachment against Noem, with at least 140 members signing on as of Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) gave his endorsement to the articles, which could prompt more Democrats to sign on.

“Kristi Noem should be fired immediately, or we will commence impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives,” Jeffries said.

Although no House Republicans have yet endorsed impeaching Noem, several GOP lawmakers have expressed dismay with her management of DHS. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have also called for Noem to be fired.