In a significant reshuffling of roles, Donald Trump has decided to remove Kristi Noem from her position, appointing her longtime adversary to take charge of a faltering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis.

On Monday, Trump announced on Truth Social, “I am dispatching Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. Although he hasn’t previously worked in that area, he is familiar with and has a good rapport with many there. Tom is tough but fair, and he will be reporting directly to me.”

The move comes on the heels of a recent controversy involving ICE, which escalated last Saturday when agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse and American citizen. This incident has further fueled tensions, amidst a backdrop of ongoing unrest in Minneapolis sparked by the earlier death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and anti-ICE activist.

As the situation intensifies, Republican lawmakers in the nation’s capital have voiced concerns over the apparent lack of control within Noem’s operation. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders at both state and national levels are calling for federal agents to withdraw from Minnesota altogether.

According to several reports, Trump has privately criticized the way Noem’s department handled the communication following the tragic shooting of Pretti, indicating a need for more effective public messaging in such critical situations.

Trump himself has privately expressed that Noem’s department mishandled the public messaging in the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s shooting, according to multiple reports.

The President now wants Homan, a loyal ICE veteran, to lead the operation in Minnesota that was launched at the start of December.

Riots erupted on Sunday night outside a Hilton hotel in Minneapolis, where ICE agents are believed to be staying. Protesters bashed windows and spray-painted the hotel’s facade, videos showed. Others chanted and paced in front of the building.

Donald Trump has replaced Kristi Noem in the handling of the ICE operation in Minneapolis

Moments before Alex Pretti (on the ground) was fatally shot in the Minnesota city on Saturday

The 37-year-old nurse was killed while being detained by ICE agents on Saturday 

Kristi Noem is facing Trump’s wrath as he orders her longtime rival, border czar Tom Homan, to clean up the chaos caused by her immigration crackdown in Minneapolis 

The furious mob tried to bust through the front door but were unsuccessful, and they continued their commotion in the street. The alarming scene continued for more than an hour without police intervening. 

Noem and Homan have battled for control of Trump’s mass deportation agenda from the start of the administration. 

Under Noem’s leadership, non-law enforcement DHS officials have feuded with career ICE officers, who are loyal to Homan, over how to detain and deport illegal migrants. 

Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump insider and Noem’s rumored lover, has publicly accused Homan of leaking to the Press and has sought to oust immigration officers close to the border czar.

Homan now appears to have the President’s support after Trump appointed him to clean up the mess caused by Noem’s leadership in the Twin Cities. 

Trump then vowed to continue his administration’s efforts to investigate fraud in Minnesota and took a shot at Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar.

‘Separately, a major investigation is going on with respect to the massive 20 Billion Dollar, Plus, Welfare Fraud that has taken place in Minnesota, and is at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.’

He concluded, ‘Additionally, the DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘Congresswoman’ Ilhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars. Time will tell all.’

A federal agent points a weapon at a person outside a hotel during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday

Demonstrators participate in a rally and march during an ‘ICE Out’ day of protest on January 23

A Minneapolis police officer stands guard as protesters use megaphones at the entrance of a hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday

Demonstrators participate in a rally and march during an ‘ICE Out’ day of protest on January 23

Federal agents gather during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city on Sunday

A protester blows a whistle during a noise demonstration in front of a hotel where they believe ICE agents are staying on Sunday

Federal agents try to clear the demonstrators near the hotel, using tear gas

A federal agent stands guard near the hotel during a demonstration on Sunday

Demonstrators gather during a heavy snowstorm to protest against ICE’s presence in Minneapolis at the weekend

Following Trump’s Monday morning announcement, Noem issued a statement praising Homan as a ‘major asset’ to her team, suggesting she still has the final say over the operation. 

‘I have worked closely with Tom over the last year and he has been a major asset to our team — his experience and insight will help us in our wide-scale fraud investigations, which have robbed Americans, and will help us to remove even more public safety threats and violent criminal illegal aliens off the of streets of Minneapolis.’

Pretti’s death over the weekend was the second fatal shooting of a natural-born American by immigration agents since Noem launched the crackdown.

Good was shot dead by an ICE agent on January 7 as she tried to drive her SUV away while agents ordered her out of the car.

Trump expressed regret over the shooting, referring to her family being MAGA voters, but blamed the local Democratic leadership for fueling resentment towards ICE. 

The President’s sweeping ICE ‘surge’ into the Minneapolis-St Paul area began in early December.

Shortly afterwards, a video by the right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley documenting alleged migrant welfare fraud exploded online. 

Trump deployed another 2,000 federal agents and officers to the Minneapolis area at the start of January, in what the administration touted as the largest federal immigration enforcement operation ever.