On Monday, January 26th, President Donald Trump announced that White House border czar Tom Homan will be deployed to Minnesota to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations following two deadly encounters with federal agents this month.
Homan will manage ICE activities on the ground in Minneapolis and St. Paul and coordinate with federal officials investigating alleged welfare fraud in the state. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that Homan would focus on detaining criminal illegal immigrants and assisting with ongoing fraud investigations.
The deployment comes amid widespread unrest in the Twin Cities, where two anti-ICE protesters, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal agents. Authorities confirmed that Pretti was carrying a semi-automatic handgun with additional magazines at the time and did not have his permit or ID on him. Federal officials have emphasized that crowded protests disrupted law enforcement operations.
Trump also brought up the Minnesota welfare fraud controversy, mentioning ongoing federal and congressional investigations, and highlighted Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., citing reports of an increase in her personal wealth in recent years.
Leavitt did not address whether Homan’s assignment signaled a lack of confidence in the current federal leadership in Minnesota.
