Report: Noem given new role by Trump after White House meeting

Donald Trump reined in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after an icy White House meeting overseen by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following another deadly shooting involving an immigration agent in Minnesota. The internal scrutiny of Noem intensified after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, an incident she characterized as an act of domestic terrorism despite widespread questions about how federal agents handled incident.

The President hit Noem with questions regarding her handling of the shooting and initial response during their late-night meeting, according to reports. Noem’s adviser and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski was at her side during the Oval Office gathering. By the end of the night, Noem was ordered to shift her focus away from interior immigration enforcement operations and instead concentrate on securing the southern border. 

Meanwhile, Noem’s longtime rival, White House Border Czar Tom Homan, is expected to take over command of the Minneapolis crackdown. Although Trump did limit Noem’s authority, she is expected to keep her job as the president’s top immigration officer – for now. Noem’s law enforcement ally on the ground, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, was also withdrawn along with scores of his agents. Initially, Noem and Lewandowski elevated Bovino to oversee high-profile immigration raids in U.S. urban centers including Los Angeles, Chicago and, most recently, Minneapolis.

The decision stirred internal anger among immigration agents aligned with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because those operations traditionally fell under their jurisdiction, not Border Patrol’s. Bovino was sent packing to California on Monday night as Homan prepared to takeover ground operation of Minneapolis. The Daily Mail can confirm that Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott revoked Bovino’s access to government issued social media accounts.