Topline
President Donald Trump said he’s sending Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota—where DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has been the prominent face of the administration—amid mass protests against the killing of ICE protester Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent Saturday in Minneapolis.
Table Of Content
Border Czar Tom Homan visits ‘Varney & Co.’ at Fox Business Network on January 13, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Trump said on Truth Social Homan “has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there.”
Trump also said the massive welfare fraud scheme in Minnesota is “at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets,” without explaining the correlation.
The move comes as crisis in the city seems to grow along with criticism even from Trump allies, and the president’s poll numbers seem to be slipping quickly.
Sending Homan could be a demotion of sorts for Noem—who has led the controversial Trump response in Minneapolis, and who has feuded with Homan.
Noem and Homan reportedly lead two competing strategies within DHS—with Noem and her allies wanting to deport anyone in the U.S. illegally, with a focus on mass arrests, while Homan’s camp prefers a more targeted approach of deporting people with criminal records.
Contra
Trump has denied reports he wants to replace Noem, telling reporters in December, “I’m so happy with her. I mean, we have a closed border. We have a border that’s the best border in the history of our country. Why would I be unhappy with that? She’s fantastic, actually.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday Trump “still has confidence and trust in Secretary Noem” when prompted by a reporter. She said Homan would be the “main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis.”
Tangent
Dozens have been indicted in an alleged welfare fraud scheme in Minnesota investigators say robbed the state of more than $200 million. Some of the people indicted are members of the Somali community—which Trump and his allies have sought to highlight in their anti-immigration push.
Big Number
61%. That’s the share of respondents in a recent New York Times/Siena poll who said they believe ICE has gone too far in their tactics. The poll also found 49% said the country is worse off a year after Trump took office, while 32% said it’s better and 19% said it’s the same.
Key Background
Pretti was the second person killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Both incidents were caught on bystander footage, sparking mass protests across the country and bipartisan backlash. Trump and his allies have sought to quickly blame both of those killed, and claimed they posed imminent danger to federal agents, referring to both Pretti and Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE officer on Jan. 7, as “domestic terrorists.” In Pretti’s case, the Trump administration claimed he attended the protest to “massacre law enforcement,” Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino told CNN. Video footage clearly shows Pretti filming agents with his cell phone and helping another protester who was pepper sprayed by an agent before he was also pepper sprayed, tackled to the ground by a group of agents and shot by one in the back at close range. Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, had a concealed carry license and was carrying a firearm, but he never drew the weapon and law enforcement appeared to remove it before he was shot, according to the video footage.
Further Reading
Who Was Alex Pretti? Man Shot Dead By Border Patrol Agent In Minneapolis (Forbes)
Trump Blasts Minnesota Democrats As ‘Inciting Insurrection’ After Man Killed By Border Patrol (Forbes)
