Federal officials say the Trump administration will shift its interior-immigration strategy, exporting the focused enforcement methods used by Tom Homan in Minneapolis to other cities across the country. The decision follows intense public backlash and chaotic scenes in Minneapolis late last month — including the shooting deaths of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti — that prompted a reassessment of high-visibility Border Patrol operations. Current and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told CNN the move scales back the theatrical, broad sweeps associated with Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino in favor of preselected, intelligence-driven arrests. Administration leaders framed the change as a return to traditional ICE priorities while stressing arrests and detention capacity will continue to be expanded.
Key takeaways
- The administration plans to replicate Tom Homan’s targeted interior-enforcement tactics in multiple cities, shifting away from large, high-visibility Border Patrol sweeps.
- Minneapolis operations sparked intense scrutiny after federal agents’ actions coincided with the February shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and investigations into officer conduct.
- Homeland Security cites that nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of noncitizens charged or convicted of crimes and that the administration has overseen more than 700,000 deportations.
- Sources report thousands of federal agents surged to Minneapolis late last year for an operation tied to a Somali community welfare-fraud probe, altering prior, more discreet ICE targeting methods.
- Officials say the pivot is tactical, not a retreat: some cities may still face larger ICE footprints while detention capacity is being expanded to support continued removals.
- Internal infighting persists between factions favoring Bovino’s high-visibility approach and those backing Homan and Secretary Kristi Noem’s priorities, though Homan recently signaled cooperation with the broader team.
Background
The administration’s immigration agenda has emphasized aggressive removals since 2017, combining stepped-up border enforcement with larger interior operations. Traditionally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has handled interior arrests using case-by-case targeting; Border Patrol normally focuses at and near the border. Over the past year, a more theatrical Border Patrol presence under Gregory Bovino — including widely shared social-media footage — amplified the visibility of enforcement actions in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis.
Those high-profile tactics were intended in part to deter unauthorized migration by increasing perceived risk and encouraging self-deportation. But the Minneapolis operation, which involved a large federal contingent and culminated in two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens and other contested uses of force, created political and public-relations problems inside the administration. Democrats have used the incidents to press for ICE reforms; the resulting budget fights have contributed to partial DHS funding disruptions. Officials now say the episode prompted a recalibration toward Homan-style targeted arrests guided by investigative work and pre-identified subjects.
Main event
Late last year, sources say federal agents pivoted from building discreet target lists to conducting broad, high-visibility sweeps after an expanded deployment to Minneapolis tied to a welfare-fraud scandal affecting the Somali community. The surge involved thousands of federal personnel and drew immediate public attention. During those operations, two Americans — identified by authorities as Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were shot and killed, and other incidents raised allegations of officer misconduct that triggered internal investigations.
After the Minneapolis confrontations, Tom Homan was dispatched to manage the response. Homan announced a federal drawdown in the Twin Cities last week, citing cooperation agreements with local officials that allowed a change in posture. Homeland Security officials say Homan also increased internal-affairs oversight in Minnesota to address misconduct claims and reiterated that allegations were being referred for review where warranted.
According to multiple current and former DHS officials interviewed by CNN, the White House decided to de-emphasize the Bovino-led, publicity-heavy operations and refocus on ICE’s traditional method of identifying targets ahead of arrests. Officials stressed the move does not mean the administration will ease removals — instead, they plan more preplanned operations and increased detention capacity while cautioning that plans could shift if circumstances warrant.
Analysis & implications
The tactical shift signals an effort to balance the administration’s enforcement goals with political and public-opinion realities. High-visibility operations can produce immediate, dramatic results but also generate negative optics and political backlash when incidents escalate. By returning to largely intelligence-driven arrests, officials aim to reduce confrontations that draw sustained media attention while continuing removals and detention expansion.
Operationally, this change reasserts the conventional division between Border Patrol and ICE. Border Patrol’s recent interior role represented an unusual expansion of its public-facing presence and blurred traditional agency boundaries. Pulling back from that posture could reallocate Border Patrol resources back to the border and place interior enforcement primarily back with ICE case teams and investigators.
Politically, the recalibration may be intended to blunt Democratic criticism and stabilize DHS funding talks by reducing flashpoints that galvanize reform demands. Yet the underlying policy — prioritizing removal of those deemed public-safety threats and expanding detention — remains in place, meaning deportation numbers and detention populations could continue to rise even as tactics become less ostentatious.
Comparison & data
| Metric | Homan-style (targeted) | Bovino-style (high-visibility) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary method | Pre-identified targets, investigative arrests | Large street sweeps, public operations |
| Public visibility | Lower | High; widely publicized |
| Reported risks | Lower immediate public backlash | Higher risk of confrontations and reputational damage |
| Reported results (admin.) | ICE says ~70% of arrests are of those charged/convicted of crimes | Used to demonstrate large-scale presence and deterrence |
| Deportations under administration | More than 700,000 (administration-wide figure cited by DHS) | |
The table summarizes differences officials described to CNN and the administration’s cited enforcement outputs. While public visibility and confrontation risk differ, both approaches aim to increase removals; the newly described shift mainly changes optics and operational sequencing, not stated goals.
Reactions & quotes
Officials and outside voices reacted quickly, framing the change according to their perspectives and concerns.
“Targeting public safety threats is nothing new… Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.”
Homeland Security spokesperson (statement)
That spokesperson reiterated administration arrest and deportation totals and framed the move as a restoration of ICE norms rather than a retreat.
“What they were doing was hoping that high visibility enforcement operations would scare enough illegal aliens to increase self-deportation.”
Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies (policy analyst)
Krikorian, who leads a center favoring reduced immigration, said the administration misjudged public tolerance for militarized activity and is adjusting tactics in response.
“The President’s entire team is working together to implement his immigration enforcement agenda — which has always focused on prioritizing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson (statement)
The White House framed the change as coordinated and consistent with the President’s objectives, highlighting broader claims about crime reduction and border security as context for the policy shift.
Unconfirmed
- Whether a formal, nationwide rollout timetable has been finalized — officials described plans as subject to change and did not provide a public schedule.
- The precise number of federal agents deployed to Minneapolis during the late-year surge — public accounts describe “thousands,” but an exact public tally has not been confirmed.
- Claims that the administration’s aim was primarily to induce “self-deportation” are interpretations of strategy and were not presented as an explicit, documented policy order in available official statements.
Bottom line
The administration’s pivot toward Tom Homan’s Minneapolis playbook reflects a tactical effort to preserve its removal objectives while reducing the political and media fallout of high-visibility sweeps. Officials insist enforcement will remain robust — with detention expansion and continued prioritization of criminal noncitizens — but the visible, Border Patrol-centric spectacles that drew national outrage are being dialed back.
For cities, the change means fewer theatrical street sweeps but not necessarily fewer arrests: local impacts will depend on how ICE and DHS implement target-selection processes and detention capacity. Policymakers and municipal leaders should watch deployment patterns, detention growth, and oversight mechanisms, since those variables will determine whether the shift reduces community harm or simply moves enforcement tactics indoors.