Donald Trump has sidelined Kristi Noem and ordered Tom Homan to lead a rapidly deteriorating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis. ‘I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. ‘Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.’ Trump’s immigration crackdown was plunged into yet another scandal on Saturday when ICE agents shot dead American citizen Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse. The shooting comes amid weeks of riots in Minneapolis following the killing of anti-ICE protester Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.
Lawmakers Raise Concern Over Noem’s ICE Operation
Republican lawmakers in Washington have raised concerns that Noem’s operation has spiraled out of control, and Democratic leaders at the national and state levels are demanding that federal agents leave Minnesota. Trump himself has privately expressed that Noem’s department mishandled the public messaging in the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s shooting, according to multiple reports. The President now wants Homan, a loyal ICE veteran and a longtime rival to Noem, to lead the operation in Minnesota that was launched at the start of December.
Riots Erupt Outside Minneapolis Hotel
Riots erupted on Sunday night outside a Hilton hotel in Minneapolis where ICE agents are believed to be staying. Protestors bashed windows and spray-painted the hotel’s facade, videos showed. Others chanted and paced in front of the building. The furious mob tried to bust through the front door but were unsuccessful and continued their commotion in the street. The alarming scene continued for more than an hour without police intervening. Noem and Homan have battled for control of Trump’s mass deportation agenda from the start of the administration.
Under Noem’s leadership, non-law enforcement DHS officials have feuded with career ICE officers, who are loyal to Homan, over how to detain and deport illegal migrants. Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump insider and rumored lover to Noem, has publicly accused Homan of leaking to the press and has sought to oust immigration officers close to the border czar. Homan now appears to have The President’s support after Trump appointed him to clean up the mess caused by Noem’s leadership in the Twin Cities.
Trump then vowed to continue his administration’s efforts to investigate fraud in Minnesota and took a shot at Minnesota Democratic Rep. Illhan Omar. ‘Separately, a major investigation is going on with respect to the massive 20 Billion Dollar, Plus, Welfare Fraud that has taken place in Minnesota, and is at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.’ He concluded, ‘Additionally, the DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars. Time will tell all.’
Following Trump’s Monday morning announcement, Noem issued a statement praising Homan as a ‘major asset’ to her team – appearing to signal she still has the final say over the operation. ‘I have worked closely with Tom over the last year and he has been a major asset to our team — his experience and insight will help us in our wide-scale fraud investigations, which have robbed Americans, and will help us to remove even more public safety threats and violent criminal illegal aliens off the of streets of Minneapolis.’
Pretti’s death over the weekend was the second fatal shooting of a natural born American by immigration agents since Noem launched the crackdown. Good was shot dead by an ICE agent on January 7 as she tried to drive her SUV away while agents ordered her out of the car. Trump expressed regret over the shooting, referring to Good’s family being MAGA voters, but blamed the local Democratic leadership for fueling resentment towards ICE. Trump’s sweeping ICE ‘surge’ into the Minneapolis-St Paul area began in early December.
Shortly afterwards, a video by the right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley documenting alleged migrant welfare fraud exploded online. Trump deployed another 2,000 federal agents and officers to the Minneapolis area at the start of January in what the administration touted as the largest federal immigration enforcement operation ever carried out.
