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Kristi
Noem met with Trump amid scrutiny over deadly Minneapolis shooting: Sources
Trump has
moved to change course by dispatching his border czar, Tom Homan.
ByRachel
Scott and Luke Barr
January
27, 2026, 9:45 PM
Homeland
Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with President Donald Trump in the Oval
Office on Monday, two sources told ABC News, as the administration faces
fallout over federal agent operations in Minnesota and the fatal shooting of
Alex Pretti.
Noem's
top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, White
House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House communications director
Steven Cheung were also present, according to sources.
White
House distances Trump from provocative claims by Noem, others on Pretti
shooting
White
House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who had called Pretti a
"domestic terrorist" without evidence, was not at the meeting,
sources said.
Sources
said the meeting lasted about two hours and came at the request of Noem. The
White House declined to comment.
The New
York Times was the first to report on the meeting.
Much of
the scrutiny inside the administration has been directed toward Noem over her
initial response to the killing of Pretti, sources said. After Pretti was
killed Saturday, Noem -- like Miller -- was quick to call him a "domestic
terrorist" without evidence.
Asked by
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce if the president agreed
with that characterization, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt
distanced the president from those comments.
"Look,
as I've said, I have not heard the president characterize Mr. Pretti in that
way," Leavitt said during the White House press briefing on Monday.
"However, I have heard the president say he wants to let the facts in the
investigation lead itself."
While
sources said Noem is expected to keep her job as of now, her focus is expected
to shift to other priorities.
Trump, as
he left the White House on Tuesday afternoon to travel to Iowa for an economic
speech, told reporters that Noem would not be stepping down.
"I
think she's done a very good job. The border is totally secure," Trump
said.
But
sources described a rift between Noem and Trump's border czar Tom Homan -- a
frosty relationship that existed prior to the shooting in Minneapolis.
Assistant
DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Noem is “very happy” Homan will be
overseeing the actions on Minneapolis.
"Secretary
Noem will continue to oversee the Department of Homeland Security, and she is
very happy that Tom Homan, who is a great asset to the president, has a great
depth of experience and insight, will be overseeing Minneapolis,” she said
during an interview on Fox News Tuesday morning.
Homan was
also at the White House on Monday before heading to Minnesota at the direction
of Trump -- bypassing the normal chain of command where Noem and Customs and
Border Protection commander-at-large Greg Bovino had been overseeing ICE
operations. Bovino is now returning to El Centro, California, to resume his
duties as chief of that sector, multiple sources told ABC News.
Trump
said on Monday that Homan would report directly to him.
Minnesota's
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz met with Homan on Tuesday morning. The two spoke about
a number of items, including a "significant reduction in the number of
federal forces in Minnesota, and an end to the campaign of retribution against
Minnesota," according to the governor’s office.
Minneapolis
Mayor Jacob Frey said he met with Homan on Tuesday, calling the conversation
"productive" in a series of X posts.
Frey said
he made it clear to Homan that "Minneapolis does not and will not enforce
federal immigration laws."
The
decision to send Homan into the state came as a relief to several Republicans
on Capitol Hill who had personally reached out to the president and other White
House officials directly about the response. Criticism has grown from
congressional Republicans over the Pretti shooting and Minnesota ICE operation,
with more than two dozen GOP lawmakers calling for a thorough investigation.
A person
familiar with the planning said Homan will likely focus on more targeted
immigration enforcement efforts.
Noem and
her top adviser, Lewandowski, have pushed for a harder line immigration
approach including street sweeps. Bovino rankled some who felt his direct
reporting to the Homeland Security secretary was problematic, and bypassed
Rodney Scott, the chief of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, sources said.
"The
President’s entire immigration enforcement team -- including Secretary Noem and
Border Czar Homan -- are on the same page. They are working together seamlessly
to implement the President’s agenda, protect the American people, and deport
criminal illegal aliens," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in
a statement.
ABC News'
Isabella Murray contributed to this report.
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