President Donald Trump has effectively cut Kristi Noem out of the loop, dispatching her longtime rival Tom Homan to seize control of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis after a fatal ICE shooting detonated into street violence and internal revolt.
The extraordinary move follows the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse shot dead by federal immigration agents during an enforcement operation—an incident that has now spiraled into protests, smashed windows, and open rebellion inside Trump’s own administration.
Trump made his message unmistakable.
“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight,” he declared on Truth Social. “Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.”
The subtext was brutal: Noem failed. Homan is taking over.
A Department in Free Fall
Behind the scenes, Trump has been furious over how Noem’s Department of Homeland Security handled the fallout—particularly as disturbing footage circulated online and official explanations shifted under scrutiny.
According to multiple reports, the president concluded that Noem’s team had lost control of the narrative, the streets, and the agents themselves.
Democrats blasted the operation as reckless. But more damaging was the backlash from Republicans, who privately warned the situation was becoming a political and operational disaster.
Rather than defend Noem, Trump sided with her enemy.
Minneapolis Erupts as Federal Agents Hole Up
By Sunday night, Minneapolis had become a flashpoint.
Outside a Home Suites by Hilton in Minneapolis, believed to be housing federal agents, crowds smashed windows, spray-painted walls, and attempted to force their way inside. Whistles blared. Chants echoed. The confrontation dragged on for more than an hour.
Police largely stood back as the scene deteriorated.
The message from the streets was unmistakable: the operation had blown up.
Noem vs. Homan: A War Finally Decided
The Minneapolis shooting didn’t just ignite protests—it settled a long-running internal war.
From the start of Trump’s second term, Noem and Homan have fought bitterly over control of the president’s mass-deportation agenda. Under Noem, DHS political appointees repeatedly clashed with career officers at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, many of whom remain fiercely loyal to Homan.
The department fractured. Messaging collapsed. Morale cratered.
Trump confidant Corey Lewandowski publicly accused Homan’s allies of leaking to the press and worked aggressively to push them out. The infighting grew so toxic that enforcement decisions became tangled in personal vendettas.
Now Trump has made his choice—and it wasn’t subtle.
Homan isn’t advising. He isn’t coordinating.
He’s taking command.
Trump Escalates, Targets Minnesota Democrats
Trump used the crisis to widen the battlefield, reviving claims of massive welfare fraud in Minnesota and tying it directly to the unrest now gripping the city.
He then turned his fire on Rep. Ilhan Omar, claiming federal investigators and Congress are scrutinizing her finances.
“Time will tell all,” Trump wrote.
A Political Execution
By sidelining Noem in the middle of a national scandal and empowering her most dangerous rival, Trump delivered a clear verdict on her leadership: she lost control—and paid for it.
Whether Homan’s arrival restores order or ignites even greater backlash, one thing is already clear:
Kristi Noem is no longer running immigration policy.
Tom Homan is.
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