Following the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti during a Border Patrol operation—detailed in prior coverage—White House border czar Tom Homan arrived in Minneapolis to redirect immigration enforcement toward serious criminals, amid backlash against aggressive tactics by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and reassigned Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino.
Building on escalating political fallout from Saturday's shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, as covered previously, President Trump dispatched former ICE chief Tom Homan to the Twin Cities on Monday. Homan replaced Bovino, criticized for prioritizing arrest quotas over dangerous criminals, and oversaw rapid policy shifts—three adjustments in four hours on Tuesday—to focus on 'criminal packages' while allowing collateral arrests of undocumented individuals nearby.
Monday's operations in Minnesota netted undocumented immigrants convicted of kidnapping, child rape, assault on law enforcement with a firearm, assault, and possession of fraudulent documents. A White House official stressed 'targeted enforcement,' noting that illegally present individuals with targets should also be arrested.
Noem's labeling of Pretti as a 'domestic terrorist' intent on killing agents drew sharp rebukes as unprofessional from federal sources and calls for her firing from Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski. Trump defended Noem, dismissing the senators as 'losers,' and met with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, warning Frey against non-cooperation on immigration despite the city's policy.
Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson decried the operations as using an 'ill-trained, hot-tempered, undisciplined' force like an occupying army, contrasting with Obama-era deportations of over 3 million via criminal focus and de-escalation. Gun rights groups like the NRA criticized suggestions that Pretti's legal firearm justified the shooting, citing inconsistencies with cases like Kyle Rittenhouse.
DHS's Operation Metro Surge continues nationwide with thousands of arrests, as shutdown threats loom over funding and polls show 58% favoring ICE reforms.
