President Trump announced Monday that he is dispatching “border czar” Tom Homan to Minnesota following a second deadly immigration enforcement-involved shooting this month, sidelining Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“[Homan] has not been involved in that area, but 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 tapping of Homan comes amid reports of tensions between the border czar and Noem, the former South Dakota governor.
Homan and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons have pressed for the administration to put more of an emphasis on detaining illegal immigrants with final deportation orders and a criminal history, Fox News reported in October.
Noem, her top adviser Corey Lewandowski, and Border Patrol Commander-at-large Greg Bovino, on the other hand, have pushed for a more aggressive strategy of targeting everyone in the US illegally and maximizing the number of deportations.
Noem publicly welcomed Trump’s decision to send Homan to Minnesota, writing on X: “This is good news for peace, safety, and accountability in Minneapolis.
“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.”
Despite the outward support, one source close to DHS told The Post that Trump turning to Homan was “a bad sign for Noem,” though an administration official claimed that Noem is unlikely to lose her job, however unhappy the president may be with her.
“A Super Bowl team isn’t going to start making trades at this point just because of a few injuries,” this official described the situation.
In the aftermath of Saturday’s killing of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol officers, Noem claimed that the victim had “attacked” officers and was “brandishing” a gun — both claims contradicted by footage of the shooting.
“This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” Noem added at a news conference hours after Pretti’s death. --->READ MORE HERE
The ICE tensions in Minnesota could finally be thawing — after President Trump sent his “border czar” to the state and ordered hard-charging Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino home — in an apparent move to freeze out Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The major shift — which came hours after Trump had “very good” calls with Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Dems — came as criticism mounted over a pair of caught-on-video shootings of American citizens in the city in recent weeks.
Bovino is known for his aggressive, front-line leadership, but has come under scrutiny for claiming Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old armed nurse who was killed by Border Patrol agents on Saturday, was planning to “massacre” immigration officers.
Bovino, along with some Border agents, who were helping to augment the ICE immigration crackdown, were ordered out of the state, sources confirmed to The Post.
The Department of Homeland Security reportedly suspended the Border Patrol commander’s access to his social media accounts “effective immediately,” according to CNN.
Bovino used his X account over the weekend to go after critics and thank supporters in the wake of Pretti’s death.
DHS did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment about the reported social media ban.
Border czar Tom Homan is now in charge of overseeing the situation on the ground, which until now, Noem had been publicly fronting.
Homan’s transfer is a significant action for the Trump administration — though the administration is demanding the Democratic-led state cooperate with federal authorities who are rounding up illegal immigrants.
The White House on Monday even distanced Trump from hot rhetoric from Bovino as well as Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who had called Pretti and Renee Good — the anti-ICE activist and mom of three shot by an ICE agent earlier this month — domestic terrorists.
Trump has been driving the change, revealing he and Walz are now on the same “wavelength” after weeks of name-calling and bickering.
“Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president also spoke with Frey, who famously told ICE agents to get the “f— out” of his city, saying they had “a very good telephone conversation.” He noted Frey and Homan will be meeting on Tuesday. --->READ MORE HERE
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