NEWYou can now hearken to Fox News articles!
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday publicly backed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and federal legislation enforcement leaders working in Minnesota as tensions flare following Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Trump introduced Monday that he would deploy border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, prompting questions on whether or not the transfer mirrored any frustration with the officers already overseeing the response on the bottom.
“Secretary Noem still has the utmost confidence and trust of the president of the United States, and she’s continuing to oversee the entire Department of Homeland Security and all of the immigration enforcement that’s taking place across the whole entire country,” Leavitt mentioned throughout a press briefing Monday when requested if the president was dissatisfied with how the officers on the bottom dealt with the shooting.
The Department of Homeland Security oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which means Noem was juggling the immigration crackdown as properly as an enormous snow storm that rocked a big portion of the U.S. Sunday.
FORMER ICE AGENT CALLS POLICE NON-COOPERATION ‘FORMULA FOR DISASTER’ AFTER SECOND MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING DEATH
Border Czar Tom Homan walks towards reporters exterior the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 5, 2025. Homan has pushed again towards Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s declare that ICE raids goal non-criminals, defending federal enforcement operations in the sanctuary state. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Of course, Secretary Noem is also in charge of FEMA, and we are in the wake of a brutal winter storm where hundreds of thousands of Americans have been impacted by that,” Leavitt continued. “So border czar Homan is in a unique position to drop everything and go to Minnesota to continue having these productive conversations with state and local officials. And I know that he’s catching a plane in just a few hours to do just that.”
Leavitt additionally defended senior United States Border Patrol Commander Gregor Bovino through the press convention, calling him a “wonderful man, and he’s a great professional.”
“He is going to have very much continue to lead Customs and Border Patrol, throughout and across the country,” Leavitt mentioned. “Mr. Homan will be the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis to follow up.”
President Donald Trump mentioned earlier Monday that he was deploying the border czar to Minnesota and that he would report on to the president, sparking questions over whether or not Trump’s confidence in his federal immigration legislation enforcement officers was slipping.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at press convention to debate ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, as a part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration coverage, at One World Trade Center in New York City, Jan. 8, 2026. (David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters)
“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 his Truth Social platform.
Leavitt informed Fox Digital that “Homan will be managing ICE operations on the ground in Minnesota and coordinating with others on the ongoing fraud investigations,” however didn’t add whether or not the president has misplaced confidence in present management on the bottom.
A protester is detained by Federal brokers close to the scene the place Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer final week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Adam Gray) (Adam Gray/The Associated Press )
Tensions in Minnesota additional flared over the weekend when 37-year-old Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol Saturday. Federal authorities say Pretti, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, approached brokers with a 9 mm handgun and didn’t cooperate once they tried to disarm him.
FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS PRIVATELY FUME OVER DHS CLAIMS AFTER DEADLY MINNESOTA SHOOTING
The fatal shooting follows one other fatal shooting on Jan. 7 of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Good’s and Pretti’s deaths have spurred an outpouring of condemnation and outrage from critics of the administration, arguing the federal government has blood on its arms and heightening protest confrontations with legislation enforcement officers.
Leavitt added Monday that Homan has the “full trust and faith of the president” as he travels to Minnesota and continues delivering on the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Mr. Homan is the point person for cooperating with state and local authorities and corresponding with them again, to achieve this level of cooperation, to subdue the chaos on the streets of Minneapolis,” she mentioned. “And I would just point out that Mr. Homan is someone who has been lauded for many, many decades for his experience working in law enforcement.”
Leavitt pointed to an outdated Washington Post headline celebrating Homan a decade in the past.
“In fact, this is a Washington Post headline from nine years ago, 2016: Meet the man the White House is honored for deporting illegal immigrants. And I would remind everyone in this room that it was former President Barack Hussein Obama who awarded a medal to Mr. Homan,” she continued.
Federal immigration officers deploy tear gasoline at protesters after a shooting Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Abbie Parr/The Associated Press )
Trump revealed on Truth Social Monday that he had a productive cellphone name with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who he mentioned requested that the native authorities work with federal officers amid the chaos.
JD VANCE SHARES ‘CRAZY’ STORY OF ICE AND CBP OFFICERS BEING MOBBED IN MINNEAPOLIS
“It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength. I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession,” Trump wrote.
President Donald Trump arrives at a dedication ceremony for a portion of Southern Boulevard that the Town of Palm Beach Council recently voted to rename President Donald J. Trump Boulevard at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, Jan. 16, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
“The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future. He was happy that Tom Homan was going to Minnesota, and so am I! We have had such tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually every other place that we have ‘touched’ and, even in Minnesota, Crime is means down, however each Governor Walz and I wish to make it higher!” Trump continued in his submit.
Walz’s workplace informed Fox Digital Monday that the governor had a “productive” name with Trump, urgent for neutral investigations into the Minneapolis shootings involving federal brokers — and urging a discount in the federal footprint in Minnesota.
Gov. Tim Walz held a productive cellphone name with President Donald Trump Monday as tensions flare in Minnesota, the president shared on Truth Social. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“The President agreed that he would talk to his Department of Homeland Security about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case,” Walz’s workplace continued. “The President also agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Walz’s workplace mentioned the governor additionally “reminded” Trump that Minnesota’s Department of Corrections honors federal immigration detainers — and that there isn’t a “single documented” occasion of the company releasing somebody from state jail with out first providing to facilitate a clean switch of custody.
