President Donald Trump has agreed to pull Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents out of the state and let local police lead the investigation into the killing of a protester by federal agents, Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, said.
Trump called Walz on Monday about the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was killed by federal agents during protests over the administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis on Saturday. Walz’s office said in a statement: “The President agreed that he would talk to his Department of Homeland Security about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case.”
Trump Makes U-Turn
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“The President also agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals,” the statement added.
Trump’s call with the Minnesota Governor came after he spent the previous night blaming what he called “Democrat ensued chaos” for the killing of Pretti. Trump accused Walz of standing by while violent crowds targeted immigration agents and even threatened to send in troops under the Insurrection Act.
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However, Trump has privately raised concerns about Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and on Monday, he moved her out of the spotlight by appointing Tom Homan to take charge of the ICE operation in Minnesota.
“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 decision to bring in Homan comes as reports surface of growing friction between the border czar and Noem, the former governor of South Dakota. Homan and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons have urged the administration to focus more on arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants who have final orders of removal and a history of criminal offenses.
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By contrast, Noem, along with her top adviser Corey Lewandowski and Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino, has pushed for a tougher approach that focuses on going after all people in the country illegally and driving deportation numbers as high as possible.
“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.”
Trump’s Big Snub to Noem
Despite public statements of backing, a source close to the Department of Homeland Security told The New York Post that Trump’s decision to turn to Homan could be seen as “a bad sign for Noem,” especially after she drew criticism for describing the two people killed in the recent shootings as “domestic terrorists.”
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Still, a White House official insisted that Noem continues to have “the full trust and confidence of the President.”
“Tom Homan is uniquely positioned to drop everything and focus solely on Minnesota to solve the problems that have been created by a lack of cooperation from state and local officials,” the official said.
Once he reaches Minnesota, Homan will manage ICE operations on the ground and help “continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” while also coordinating with “those leading investigations into the massive, widespread fraud,” according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
On Saturday, Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis opened fire on Pretti, 37, who had been subdued and had his 9mm handgun taken from him. Officials have not made clear whether he had another weapon or explained why the agents shot him. The shooting occurred just 17 days after another fatal incident in the city, when Renee Good, 37, was killed after she drove toward an ICE officer.
Vice President J.D. Vance visited Minnesota on Friday, hours before Pretti’s death, and met with the state’s attorney general, but he did not meet with the city’s mayor or the governor.
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Homan has been publicly urging Minnesota to allow federal agents better access to local jails so more people without legal status can be deported.
Along with sending Homan to Minnesota, Trump also reiterated that a major investigation into a large welfare fraud scandal in the state is underway.
In a separate statement, officials said a sweeping investigation is underway into what they described as more than $20 billion in welfare fraud in Minnesota, which they believe has helped fuel the violent, organized protests seen on the streets.
