The immigration chief departs Minneapolis while Trump sends border tsar Tom Homan to the site
A senior U.S. immigration official is expected to depart Minneapolis, a move that could signal a change in the White House’s approach following the weekend’s fatal shooting of a second American citizen by federal officers.
After Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and several immigration agents depart, “Border Czar” Tom Homan will begin leading ground operations in the Minnesota city on Saturday following heightened tensions after the shooting of Alex Pretto.
This decision by President Donald Trump may signal that the administration is interested in ramping up even stricter federal action to crack down on immigration nationwide.
Despite this announcement, online tracking of immigration raids suggests that the administration’s efforts are still ongoing. Bovino was the face of the operation when Pretto—an observer who was seen filming the agents—was confronted, leading to him being shot multiple times on a Minneapolis street.
The border control commander further inflamed the situation on the ground after the shooting, claiming that Pretto intended to “massacre” federal agents.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the agents fired in self-defense when Pretto, who they claimed had a handgun, resisted their attempts to disarm him on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses, local officials, and the victim’s family have disputed this account, stating that Pretto had a phone, not a weapon, in his hand. Meanwhile, his parents have accused the administration of spreading “outrageous lies” about what happened.
Prior to the shooting, Bovino was instrumental in the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to enforcing immigration laws in several cities, being active on social media and regularly filming raids and posting promotional videos showcasing his agents’ actions.
Homan, who will report directly to the president, is a vocal advocate of Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies. But he also has experience in this role—Homan worked on immigration and deportations during the administration of Democrat Barack Obama.
Tension and frustration persisted in Minneapolis on Monday over the presence of federal officers, even as news broke that Bovino and some agents were leaving.
“A lot of people can’t go to work right now; they can’t leave their homes; they’re scared,” said George Cordero, a resident of St. Paul, Minneapolis’s sister city.
Pretti was the second Minneapolis resident to be shot and killed by federal immigration officers since their arrival in the state; Renée Nicole Good was killed on January 7 by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Much of the anger in the city, and among leaders on both sides of the political spectrum, was directed at Bovino and the Border Patrol agents, who were sent to Minneapolis along with ICE agents at Trump’s direction. In total, there are more than 3,000 immigration agents in the city.
Some media reports on Monday suggested that Bovino had been removed from his role, but Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin denied this, saying the Border Patrol chief “is a vital part of the President’s team and a great American.”
Retired Minneapolis nurse Carol Engelhardt said she was very emotional about the events of the past few days.
She criticized immigration enforcement officials in the city, saying, “We need to care about this country; we need to care that we still have a Constitution, and if people organize and stand up, we can do this.”
On Monday, Trump spoke with both Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democratic leaders who have opposed the immigration enforcement efforts and called for the removal of agents from the state. Trump has criticized both in recent weeks.
Both Trump and the local leaders described the conversations as positive and said they discussed a path forward—an indication that both sides were seeking a way to de-escalate their conflict over Trump’s deportation drive.
Trump said he and Walz were “on the same page” and said his target was “all the criminals they have.”
Following the call, Walz said, “The president agreed to consider reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and to speak with DHS to ensure that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension can conduct an independent investigation, as is standard procedure.”
Ensuring an independent investigation into Pretti’s death has been Walz’s primary focus. Shortly afterward, local authorities obtained a judicial warrant to access the crime scene to secure evidence.
Local officials have criticized the federal government’s investigation, saying they were being denied access to the crime scene and evidence following Pretti’s death.
This response was based on the situation following the Good shooting, when local and state authorities said federal immigration officials were excluding them from the investigation. Protests against ICE’s actions and memorials for Preeti—a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was killed over the weekend—continued on Monday. More vigils and demonstrations are planned for the coming days.
On Tuesday, Frey said he planned to meet with Homan to “discuss next steps,” and this would be the first face-to-face meeting between federal and local officials since Bonvino’s resignation was announced.
