President Trump is sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota as congressional Republicans are calling for an investigation into the murder of Alex Pretti.
In the immediate aftermath of Alex Pretti’s killing at the hands of federal agents on Saturday, federal officials quickly alleged the victim was guilty of domestic terrorism and offered up a version of events that appeared to contradict footage of the incident. But after widespread pushback, including from several Republicans, President Donald Trump said his administration will be looking into Pretti’s death, and that he will send new leadership to oversee the increasingly restive scene in Minneapolis.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, the president did not say whether he thought the U.S. Border Patrol officer made the right decision in shooting Pretti when prompted twice. But he said the federal government will investigate what happened in the altercation. “We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination,” Trump said.
While Trump has yet to signal any plans for drawing down the deployed federal immigration agents in Minnesota, he does appear to be shifting tactics. On Monday, the president announced that border czar Tom Homan will be sent to the state later that evening. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified that Homan has been tasked with leading ICE operations in the state in what appears to be a rebuke of Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem, who quickly assailed Pretti after his death, and Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, who did the same.
“He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there,” Trump wrote of Homan on TruthSocial.
