Trump Deploys Tom Homan To MN As ICE Operations Face Violent Chaos
President Donald J. Trump announced Monday that he is dispatching Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota in response to the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a U.S. Border Patrol agent — an incident that has ignited ongoing protests and intensified tensions in a state already hostile to federal immigration enforcement.
The president said Homan will take a hands-on leadership role overseeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis and St. Paul and will report directly to him. Trump also revealed that the Department of Justice and Congress are examining potential misconduct tied to Rep. Ilhan Omar, D–Minn.
“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. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“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 continued.
“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,” Trump added.
Homan’s deployment comes amid escalating unrest in the Twin Cities following aggressive anti-ICE demonstrations. Federal agents have been involved in two fatal shootings this month — Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti — both of whom were protesting ICE operations, according to federal officials.
A new investigation into Pretti’s death was launched over the weekend.
“Tom Homan will be managing ICE operations on the ground in Minnesota and coordinating with others on the ongoing fraud investigations,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
The Trump administration has made clear that organized protesters are actively obstructing ICE operations targeting illegal aliens with criminal records. Federal officials say violent demonstrations in Minneapolis directly interfered with an immigration arrest last week — an incident in which an ICE agent reportedly lost part of his finger after a protester bit it off.
During a Sunday press conference, U.S. Border Patrol Commander at Large Greg Bovino said agents were forced to abandon a planned operation after crowds surrounded officers, attacked them, and plunged the scene into chaos.
As a result, Bovino said, the suspect escaped.
“This individual is still roaming the streets today,” Bovino said. “This individual walks the streets today because of those choices made by politicians and those, perhaps, weaker-minded constituents that chose to follow directions of those politicians. Sad state of affairs.”
Minnesota’s Democratic leadership has responded not by condemning the violence, but by threatening federal officials. Gov. Tim Walz and other state leaders have vowed that Minnesota “will have the last word” on Pretti’s death, blaming the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.
“I have a strong statement here for our federal government,” Walz said. “Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word on this. It must have the last word.”
At Walz’s request, Minnesota National Guard troops were deployed Saturday to secure the shooting site and the Whipple Federal Building — a known staging area for immigration authorities that has become a focal point for protesters.
Pretti, a U.S. citizen and a Department of Veterans Affairs intensive care unit nurse, was killed during an encounter with federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. Federal authorities said Pretti was armed with a handgun and intended to use it against law enforcement, and that a struggle occurred before the agent fired.
The shooting follows the earlier death of Renee Nicole Good, 37, who was killed by an ICE officer earlier this month — another incident now being leveraged by Democratic officials and activist groups to attack federal immigration enforcement.
As President Trump doubles down on restoring order and enforcing the law, Minnesota has emerged as a flashpoint in the broader national battle between federal authority and Democrat-led resistance to immigration enforcement.