Trump sends border czar, speaks to Minnesota Governor

Minneapolis has been rocked by protests since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot dead intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday, weeks after killing mother of three Renee Good.

“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social network.

The White House said Mr. Homan, Mr. Trump’s point man for border security, would be “managing ICE Operations on the ground in Minnesota to continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”

Mr. Trump’s decision to send Mr. Homan could signal a fresh approach, as he reportedly favours a more targeted approach than the shock-and-awe immigration raids favoured by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The Republican President said he had also had a “very good call” with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee whom Mr. Trump has repeatedly raged against.

“We, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Mr. Trump said, adding that Mr. Walz had called him “with the request to work together.”

“I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession,” Mr. Trump added in the social media posting.

As outrage over the killing of 37-year-old Pretti grew, several Senators from Mr. Trump’s Republican Party have called for a thorough probe into the killing, and for cooperation with local authorities.

Senate Leader John Thune said the decision to send Homan was a “positive development — one that I hope leads to turning down the temperature and restoring order in Minnesota.”

Mr. Trump however also doubled down on his claims about alleged fraud by Somali immigrants in Minnesota, whom he has repeatedly targeted in a series of racially charged comments.

He said the Department of Justice and Congress were “looking at” the finances of Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who is the first Somali-American elected to Congress, without providing details or evidence.