President Donald Trump has sent his so-called “border czar,” Tom Homan, to lead immigration law enforcement on the ground in Minneapolis, after two U.S. citizens were shot dead by federal agents in the city in less than a month.
The White House stated that Homan, who arrived in Minneapolis on Tuesday, will now be the primary point of contact on the ground and will meet with city officials.
This comes as Gregory Bovino, the head of U.S. Border Patrol and the public face of Trump’s nationwide deportation campaign, is expected to leave the city along with several of his agents.
Background and Career
- Age: 64
- Political Alignment: Seen as a key ally of Trump and a vocal defender of Trump’s immigration policies and mass deportation campaigns.
- Early Life: Born in upstate New York.
- Career Path: Started as a police officer before joining the Border Patrol in 1984 in Southern California.
- Four years later, he joined the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), rising through the ranks of U.S. immigration enforcement over several decades.
- Key Role: Until 2013, under the Obama administration, Homan led the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a less-known but influential position.
- Trump Administration: He had planned to retire in 2017, just days before Trump’s first term began, but a call from incoming Chief of Staff John Kelly on his retirement day changed those plans.
Homan is now at the forefront of Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement strategy, serving as the administration’s on-site enforcer in Minneapolis.
