U.S. border czar Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s new immigration enforcement chief in Minneapolis, has vowed to focus on systematic enforcement of illegal immigrants with criminal records.
After weeks of daily clashes between protesters and immigration agents and the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens so far this month, senior Trump administration officials appear to be recalibrating their approach in Minnesota.
But while Homan referred to the “decreasing population here,” there were no specific announcements on that front Wednesday.
Homan’s comments on the focus on immigration efforts appear to be consistent with a new internal memo from the top Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official on Wednesday reviewed by Reuters. It instructs federal officials not to “escalate the situation” from any unnecessary contact and contact with “hostiles.”
ICE officers have been accused of randomly stopping people on the street and making contact with protesters to ask for proof of legal U.S. residency or citizenship.
Reached Monday, Homan said he had “great conversations” with state and local officials he met with, and while differences of opinion remained, all agreed that “community safety is paramount.”
“If you don’t have a conversation, you can’t fix problems,” he said.
Trump continues to make provocative comments.
Despite Homan’s comments, Trump warned in a social media post early Wednesday that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, was “playing with fire” by saying city officials would play no role in enforcing federal immigration laws.
On Wednesday, Trump made the baseless suggestion that Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was attacked during a tense town hall meeting last night.
“She probably sprayed herself, knowing her,” he told ABC News.
With tensions rising daily over ICE’s aggressive immigration crackdown, members of Minnesota’s Somali community are concerned about protecting Somali-American Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar at City Hall. US President Trump has publicly called Omar and his country’s Somali community ‘scum’.
Social media posts Omar has previously made racist comments about the man who was arrested for spraying fluid from a syringe as a Trump supporter.
Earlier in the day, Trump said he was looking to “loosen up a little bit” and Homan sent Border Patrol agent Gregory Bovino to take over the operation, which has drawn widespread criticism and legal challenges.
ICE routinely defies court orders, the chief judge said.
Minnesota’s twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been in turmoil since Trump ordered nearly 3,000 heavily armed ICE and Border Patrol agents into the area weeks ago to carry out Operation Metro Surge.
Tensions escalated after Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, died after being shot by an ICE agent in the back of her car. Public anger was fueled by Saturday’s other clash between intensive care nurse Alex Pretty, also 37, between immigration agents and confrontational activists.
Minneapolis police said the operation was a safety risk and a drain on resources. Police Chief Brian O’Hara compared the two fatal shootings to his own records, telling CBS that the police force had not shot anyone in 2025.
Judges also expressed concern about the immigration blitz. In Wednesday’s order, U.S. Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz of Minnesota cited at least 96 federal court orders that ICE violated in 74 cases, which he said was an underestimate.
“This list is for anyone — regardless of political persuasion — who has concerns about the rule of law,” Sheltz wrote in the decision.
In a separate caseU.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was concerned by a letter that suggested the administration would withdraw from Minnesota jobs if another judge turned over voter and charity records.
They called for the DHS leader to step down.
In the wake of the Good and Pretty shooting, several Trump administration officials have denounced law enforcement as “domestic terrorists” who are threatening to harm them. Several videos of the two incidents that have gone viral clearly contradict the idea that Pretty is a threat to immigration officers or others.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem’s comments specifically pointed to more than 100 Democrats in Congress and a handful of Republicans calling for her impeachment.
While Noem and other administration officials immediately accused Preeti of planning to “mosh” the officers, citing the gun he was carrying, video verified by Reuters shows Preeti holding only a phone in his hand as Border Patrol agents push him to the ground.
Witness videos obtained by CBC News appear to show several officers taking a man to the ground before multiple shots were fired. The man is said to be American Alex Pretty, whose killing has widened the rift between the Trump administration and Minnesota officials.
The video shows one agent finding Preeti’s gun near his waist and another agent removing it before shooting Preeti in the back while he was under arrest.
Two border agents involved in the shooting of Prati are said to be on leave, but it is unclear whether a serious criminal investigation will be carried out by the federal government.
The Justice Department’s deputy attorney general has previously said there is no need for a civil rights investigation into Goode’s murder.
Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel, who are staunch defenders of the right to bear arms, condemned Pretty for being armed. The ICU nurse was legally allowed to carry a gun, and Minnesota Administrator Tim Walz appeared to say the ICU nurse was following state gun laws.
Walz is in his final term, and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Thursday that she is running to succeed him. She has been among the Democrats in D.C. criticizing ICE’s tactics and calling for limits on future funding for the agency without reform.
“Minnesota, we’ve been through a lot.” Klobuchar said on video announcers.T. “These times call for leaders who may not be rubber stamps for this (Trump) administration — but who are willing to find common ground in our region and make things right.”