Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded a two-hour meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office late Monday after she was elbowed aside amid backlash over her handling of the latest deadly shooting in Minneapolis by ICE agents.
Trump held the crisis talks with Noem after he revealed Border Czar Tom Homan was headed to take charge of Homeland Security efforts in Minneapolis after protester Alex Pretti was killed during a brutal takedown by ICE agents, the New York Times reported.
Noem has faced widespread criticism after she was quick to brand Pretti a “domestic terrorist” who had charged at officers while brandishing a gun.
Numerous videos instead showed the ICU nurse only holding a cellphone and trying to get away from the agents.
The closed-door meeting, which included several of Trump’s top aides, came as the administration tries to shift its strategy in the wake of the latest shooting as tensions continue to mount across the city.
It came, too, after the president announced he was sending Homan in to oversee the situation on the ground.
The decision to put Homan in charge of ICE operations sparked immediate questions about Trump’s faith in Noem’s handling of the ongoing immigration crackdown.
Trump, however, didn’t suggest Noem’s job was on the line during the sit-down, sources told the outlet.
Separately, Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino and some of his agents were also ordered Monday to start retreating from Minnesota, sources said.
Like Noem, Bovino – known for his no-holds-barred approach to immigration enforcement — was slammed for his claims that Pretti was brandishing a gun before he was shot by Border agents, falsely claiming the protester had “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Still, the Trump administration denied reports he’d been demoted as a result of the Minneapolis fallout.
“Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted on X, adding he was a “key part of the president’s team and a great American.”
