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By Shane Croucher
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U.S. President Donald Trump said he is sending his "tough but fair" border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, a state rocked by unrest and fatal violence amid the administration's unprecedented surge of federal immigration enforcement agents there—the largest such deployment in the country's history—and a multibillion-dollar fraud scandal centered in its Somali community.
"He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there," Trump said of Homan in a Monday morning post on Truth Social, announcing his deployment to Minnesota. "Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me."
The move cuts across DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who is facing increasing pressure after deadly clashes in Minneapolis between federal immigration enforcement officers and protesters. Homan is a potential rival to Noem for her role, though she publicly welcomed Trump's decision.
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Minnesota Clashes
There is anger among the state's governing Democratic officials and local residents about how aggressively ICE is conducting its operations as it seeks to deliver on the Trump administration's flagship policy of mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Democrats are pursuing legal action against the administration to force ICE out of their state and cities.
On Saturday, 37-year-old VA nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent during a physical confrontation in Minneapolis. Earlier in January, Renee Nicole Good, also 37, was shot dead by an ICE agent as she drove in his direction.
The Trump administration has defended both shootings as justified acts of self-defense. But critics say neither Pretti nor Good posed a genuine deadly threat to federal officers, and so the force used against them cannot be justified. Multiple videos of both events fuel the competing narratives about what happened and why.
A viral photo of a five-year-old boy with federal agents who were pursuing his undocumented father also sparked criticism from opponents of the crackdown. The administration denied that the boy was detained and said his father had run away, leaving the child behind, when agents came to arrest him.
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Tom Homan's Role in Minnesota
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Homan will manage ICE operations in Minnesota "to continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."
"In addition, Tom will coordinate with those leading investigations into the massive, widespread fraud that has resulted in billions of taxpayer dollars being stolen from law-abiding citizens in Minnesota," Leavitt said on social media.
Democratic officials in Minnesota have acknowledged the fraud problem, which fomented under the party's leadership of the state, but accused the Trump administration and the president of fueling hatred and sowing division by disparaging the entire Somali community for the actions of a few. Trump has said he wants Somali immigrants to leave the U.S.
Noem welcomed Trump's Homan move.
"This is good news for peace, safety, and accountability in Minneapolis," Noem said in a post on X.
"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, which have robbed Americans, and will help us to remove even more public safety threats and violent criminal illegal aliens off the streets of Minneapolis.
"We continue to call on the leadership in Minnesota to allow for state and local partnership in our public safety mission."
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What Is a Border Czar?
While not a formal title or role within an administration, a border czar is an official appointed by the president to advise on and coordinate federal policy for border security and immigration, spanning all of the agencies that touch on these areas.
However, Homan's deployment to Minnesota to manage ICE operations on the ground gives him a much more hands-on role than is typical for czar-style officials.
Homan was Trump's border czar back in 2019 and was reappointed to the role in 2025 at the start of the president's second administration.
He had previously served in the Obama administration as a senior official in ICE before remaining with the agency when Trump took office. Homan has worked in federal immigration authorities since the early 1980s.
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Democrats Push Back After Alex Pretti Death
Democratic senators are vowing to oppose a funding bill for the DHS following the shooting death of Pretti, a stand that increases the prospect of a partial government shutdown by the end of the week.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, in a social media post hours after the Saturday shooting, said that what is happening in Minnesota is “appalling” and that Democrats “will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”
Separately, a House resolution to launch impeachment proceedings against Noem has the support of more than 100 Democrats, but few Senate Democrats have so far weighed in.
One of those who has is Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen, who called for the impeachment of Noem, saying that she believes the DHS secretary is attempting to "mislead the American public” about the fatal shooting of Pretti.
Noem said Pretti showed up to “impede a law enforcement operation" and characterized his actions as "domestic terrorism."
“This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” Noem said Sunday.
Tim Walz Appeals to Americans
Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described people in his state as "peaceful" but "angry" and said they "won't give up hope" after Pretti's shooting.
"To Americans who are watching this right now, and I don't know, maybe you're watching it with curiosity, bewilderment, horror, scorn, or sympathy—I've got a question for all of you," Walz said at a news conference.
"What side do you want to be on? The side of an all-powerful federal government that can kill, injure, menace, and kidnap its citizens off the streets, or on the side of a nurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such government?"
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
Updated, 1/26/26, 11:20 am. ET: This article was updated with more information.
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