US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is dispatching border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota as tensions escalate following two fatal shootings involving immigration enforcement agents, incidents that have triggered mass protests across Minneapolis.
“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, describing Homan as “tough but fair” and saying he would report directly to the president. Trump added that although Homan had not previously been involved in the area, he “knows and likes many of the people there.”
Homan oversees US border security policy and plays a central role in the administration’s mass deportation efforts. His deployment comes amid growing public outrage after two American citizens were killed during immigration operations conducted by federal agents over the weekend.
Trump also claimed that a “major investigation” is underway in Minnesota related to alleged fraud, suggesting it is “at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.” He earlier accused local officials of using the unrest as a “cover-up” for purported misuse of public funds.
Those accusations stem from unproven claims circulated by a right-wing influencer alleging fraud tied to publicly subsidized daycare centers serving Minneapolis’ Somali community. Local and state officials have denied the allegations and said there is no evidence supporting claims of widespread fraud.
The White House said Homan would manage Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations on the ground in Minnesota. “Tom will continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement posted on the social media platform X. She added that Homan would also coordinate with investigators examining what the administration described as “massive, widespread fraud.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem welcomed the move, calling Homan’s arrival “good news for peace, safety, and accountability in Minneapolis.” She urged Minnesota leaders to cooperate with federal authorities, saying state and local partnerships are critical to public safety efforts.
The shootings have intensified friction between federal immigration authorities and local officials, while protests in Minneapolis have continued for several days. On Saturday, Trump urged Minnesota leaders to allow ICE to “do their job,” warning that undocumented immigrants remaining in the state could create “something far worse than you are witnessing today.”
