Who is Tom Homan? Trump sends him to Minnesota to manage ICE following Alex Pretti killing

Donald Trump is sending Tom Homan, his border czar, to Minnesota on Monday. This move comes after the second U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, was killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis over the weekend. Trump described Homan as "tough but fair" and said he would report directly to him.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Homan will manage Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota. On Sunday, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that his administration is reviewing the latest shooting of Alex Pretti, as stated by Reuters report.

Who is Tom Homan?

Tom Homan is a 30-year veteran of ICE. He earned the Obama Presidential Rank Award in 2015. Homan is now stepping into the controversy after Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was killed by federal agents, which caused protests. He started his career as an upstate New York cop. Homan served as Acting ICE Director during Trump’s first term, as stated by Times Now. He led zero-tolerance family separations policies while in office. Homan retired in 2018 and worked with Fox News and Heritage’s Project 2025.


In 2025, Trump brought him back as Czar to oversee immigration enforcement. During this time, he oversaw 460 criminal alien arrests in just a few days. He ignored a closed FBI bribery probe during his enforcement actions. Homan dislikes states with sanctuary policies, like Minnesota, and has said he will sidestep governors like Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger.

With criticism from Minnesota’s leaders, Homan now reports directly to Trump. He is focused on welfare scams, which he blames for some violence. DHS’ Operation Metro Surge is an interior immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, as cited by Times Now. The operation is designed to identify and arrest people subject to U.S. immigration removal laws. ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents are deployed across Minnesota as part of this operation.

Trump reviews ICE actions after Pretti shooting

Trump also said his administration might eventually pull immigration enforcement officials out of the Minneapolis area but did not give a timeline. Alex Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by U.S. immigration agents on Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security called the shooting an "attack."

Bystander videos reviewed by Reuters showed Pretti holding a phone, not a gun, while trying to help other protesters who were pushed to the ground. This is the second recent killing by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

On January 7, Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent while in her parked car. Officials claimed Renee Good tried to ram the agent, but videos suggest she was trying to steer away from the officer who shot her, as noted by Reuters report.

FAQs

Q1. Who is Tom Homan and why is he in Minnesota?

Tom Homan is a former ICE director sent by Trump to manage immigration enforcement in Minnesota after protests over Alex Pretti’s death.

Q2. What is Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota?

Operation Metro Surge is a DHS program sending ICE and CBP agents to arrest people who may break U.S. immigration laws.