President Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota on Monday as protests against ICE officers escalated following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal agents.
In a Truth Social post, Mr. Trump said Mr. Homan had not been involved in the Minnesota operation but “knows and likes many of the people there.”
“Tom is tough, but fair and will report directly to me,” Mr. Trump wrote.
The move comes after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday. It was the third ICE shooting in the city in January and the second fatal shooting.
Mr. Trump didn’t specifically state whether Mr. Homan will conduct an investigation of the shooting death, but his announcement appeared to be aimed at reducing tensions in Minnesota. Federal officials have said the agents involved in the shooting have already been relocated out of the state due to concern for their safety.
Mr. Pretti, an intensive-care nurse, was protesting ICE activity in the city at the time of the shooting. Federal officials say that he was armed, but there appears to be no evidence that he pulled a gun on ICE agents.
SEE ALSO: Trump declines to say if ICE agent acted appropriately in fatal shooting
Earlier this month, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, 37, after she appeared to use her car to interfere with an ICE enforcement operation. Mr. Trump and the Department of Homeland Security have all said the shooting was justified.
Also this month in Minnesota, an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan migrant in the leg during an attempt to arrest him. The officer was ambushed by people who attacked him with a shovel and a broom handle, forcing him to open fire, according to the DHS.
Since Mr. Pretti’s death, anti-ICE protests have ramped up in the region. Minneapolis police had to call in the Minnesota State Police to arrest protesters who were spray painting and breaking windows at the Hilton Home 2 Suites near the University of Minnesota campus. The protesters targeted the hotel because ICE agents were allegedly staying there.
Anti-ICE protests have been rampant in the city amid escalating tensions over ICE’s immigration raids. Protesters disrupted a church service earlier this month.
In the same Truth Social post, Mr. Trump also said there was a “major investigation” into what he said was “massive 20 billion dollar plus welfare fraud” in Minnesota. He hinted that “the violent organized protests” in Minnesota were designed to divert attention from the fraud allegations that have plagued the state.
Mr. Trump also said that the Department of Justice and Congress are investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat. Ms. Omar is the first Somali-American elected to Congress and a frequent Trump critic.
SEE ALSO: Protester killed Saturday in clash with ICE agents had Sig Sauer high-capacity 9mm pistol
The vast majority of Minnesota residents charged with fraud stemming from the theft of federal dollars earmarked for low-income children are Somali immigrants. Mr. Trump said Ms. Omar “left Somalia with nothing, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars.” She has repeatedly denied allegations of wrongdoing.
