President Donald Trump announced that he is replacing Kristi Noem and sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to help manage federal immigration operations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. This decision follows several days of chaos after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, during a confrontation near a protest.
“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not worked in that area before, but he knows and likes many of the people there,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Tom is tough but fair and will report directly to me.”
Trump’s statement places Homan in a direct supervisory role over an operation that has drawn criticism from Democratic officials and attention from state authorities trying to gather evidence and clarify what occurred before Pretti was shot.
Pretti was killed on Saturday, January 24, as tensions grew in Minneapolis following protests over another shooting involving federal immigration enforcement this month. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Pretti approached officers with a handgun and “violently resisted,” which led agents to fire what the agency called defensive shots.
Witness accounts and video reviews have offered conflicting details. People reported that a pediatrician identified as a doctor said agents initially blocked efforts to provide medical assistance. Videos of the incident seemed to show Pretti holding a phone as officers moved in. The video shows an agent taking a handgun from Pretti’s waistband during the struggle just before another agent fired while multiple officers restrained him on the ground.
“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…” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/VMTijN2Eh9
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 26, 2026
The shooting has led to legal action and new demands from Minnesota officials for access to evidence and a transparent investigation. The New York Post reported that U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud, a Trump appointee, issued a temporary restraining order directing DHS and related agencies to preserve evidence linked to the shooting after Minnesota authorities claimed they were denied access to the scene despite having a search warrant. A hearing was scheduled for Monday, according to the same report.
Trump did not announce any staff changes at DHS, but his choice to send Homan comes as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has faced increasing criticism over enforcement tactics in Minneapolis. Thousands have protested in the city in recent weeks, and the Irish Times reported earlier this month that the department was sending additional officers to the area as protests grew following another shooting involving ICE.
The Daily Mail reported that Trump’s decision reflects internal frustration with the handling of the Minneapolis operation and highlighted a long-standing rivalry between Noem and Homan over control and messaging on deportation issues.
CBS News Minnesota reported that Trump’s statement about Homan’s deployment came as federal and state proceedings were set to address the shooting and the management of evidence, with Minnesota officials pushing for oversight of federal actions during the operation.
Homan, a veteran immigration hardliner, has served as the administration’s primary representative on enforcement policy and public messaging. Trump’s post indicated that Homan would “report directly” to him, a setup that brings the White House closer to daily decisions in a city where federal actions have become the focus of nightly protests and heightened political conflict over the use of force.
