President Donald Trump said he is sending Tom Homan, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official who now serves as his top border enforcement adviser, to Minnesota to oversee security and law enforcement-related actions. Trump announced the move in a post on his social media platform.
According to the president, Homan is expected to arrive in the state later today. While Trump acknowledged that Homan has not previously worked in Minnesota, he said Homan is familiar with the region and maintains close relationships with local contacts.
Homan, a longtime immigration hardliner, previously served as acting director of ICE during Trump’s first term and has been a vocal proponent of aggressive enforcement policies, including mass deportations and expanded cooperation between federal and local authorities. Trump described him as “tough but fair” and said he would report directly to the president.
In the same post, Trump claimed that authorities are conducting a large-scale investigation into alleged fraud involving social assistance programs in Minnesota, which he said could exceed $20 billion. He suggested the alleged fraud may be connected, at least in part, to what he characterized as organized and violent protests in the state. Trump did not provide evidence for the claim, and federal and state officials have not publicly confirmed figures of that scale.
Minnesota has previously been the focus of federal investigations into misuse of public funds, including high-profile cases involving pandemic-era aid programs, though those cases involved far smaller sums than the amount cited by Trump.
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Trump also said the Department of Justice and Congress are reviewing matters involving Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. Omar, a frequent critic of Trump and his immigration policies, has faced repeated political attacks from the president. Trump raised questions about her finances but offered no specific details, saying only that “time will tell” regarding the outcome of any reviews.
Call With Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
In a separate message, Trump said he spoke by phone with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat and former vice-presidential nominee, describing the conversation as constructive. According to Trump, Walz requested cooperation with the federal government on issues affecting the state, and the president said the two appeared aligned.
Trump said he informed Walz that Homan would be in direct contact and that the focus of the effort would be identifying and prosecuting individuals with criminal records who are already in custody. He added that the governor understood the approach and did not object to Homan’s arrival in Minnesota.
The governor’s office has not yet issued a public statement detailing the call or confirming the scope of Homan’s role in the state.
