In a significant operational shift, the Trump administration has dispatched veteran immigration official Tom Homan to assume command of enforcement operations in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by federal agents within a month. Homan, who arrived in the city on Tuesday, will serve as the primary federal liaison with local officials according to White House statements.
This personnel change coincides with the anticipated departure of Gregory Bovino, the controversial Border Patrol chief who has spearheaded the administration’s mass deportation initiatives across multiple American cities. The transition signals a strategic recalibration of enforcement tactics in a region experiencing heightened immigration-related tensions.
Homan brings four decades of immigration enforcement experience spanning both Democratic and Republican administrations. Beginning his career as a police officer before joining Border Patrol in 1984, he ascended through the ranks of immigration enforcement, eventually leading the Enforcement and Removal Operations division under ICE during the Obama administration.
Twice drawn from retirement by Trump administration officials—first in 2017 by then-Chief of Staff John Kelly and again in 2024 by current Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—Homan serves as the administration’s informal “border tsar,” coordinating immigration policy across agencies without requiring Senate confirmation.
The veteran enforcer has consistently defended the administration’s broad deportation objectives, emphasizing targeting “the worst of the worst” while challenging narratives that portray law enforcement personnel negatively. However, operational realities have frequently resulted in the apprehension of non-criminal undocumented immigrants, a phenomenon Homan attributes to uncooperative “sanctuary cities.”
While some political observers interpret Homan’s deployment as acknowledgment that Bovino’s aggressive tactics required modification, immigration advocates note both officials share similar enforcement philosophies. Homan previously defended the administration’s family separation policy that divided undocumented parents from their children.
Michael Lukens of the Amica Center noted: “Homan represents a more polished communicator than Bovino, better equipped to frame enforcement actions favorably to media and stakeholders. This transition reflects the administration’s political calculations rather than substantive policy changes.”