Insiders reveal the REAL misstep that got Kristi Noem humiliatingly ditched by Trump… and the weak excuse she’s peddling to try and save herself
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing the most volatile moment of her tenure when President Donald Trump effectively stepped aside on Monday and tapped Border Czar Tom Homan to take control of the escalating crisis in Minneapolis.
While Homan is expected to be greeted as a hero by rank-and-file immigration agents, Noem has taken a knife and returned to Washington, trying to salvage her standing in Trump’s inner circle, according to a half-dozen DHS and White House officials.
The president announced Monday morning that Homan would be assigned to Minneapolis amid growing unrest after immigration agents this month shot and killed two natural-born American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
A source close to the White House revealed that Noem’s ‘petty’ rivalry with Homan could permanently damage her standing with the President and potentially sink her career at DHS.
“Noem’s decision to bench Homan was a huge mistake,” a White House official told the Daily Mail. ‘Homan has law enforcement experience and also understands the thoughts and opinions of ICE agents. ‘It connects more with people on the field.’
Noem and other top DHS officials reacted to the shootings by accusing Good and Pretti of being ‘domestic terrorists’ who tried to attack immigration officers.
With Noem on increasingly shaky ground, Homan’s arrival is expected to provide a sense of calm and competence among rank-and-file officers tired of Noem’s divisive rhetoric against American citizens killed in Minneapolis.
There are currently more than 3,000 federal agents operating in and around Minneapolis, with nearly 2,000 of them coming from ICE. Calls from elected officials, including some Republicans, to reduce or withdraw the influx of agents have increased amid widespread protests.
Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, a Noem loyalist who went viral for appearing on camera at the height of the Minneapolis protests, was also ordered to leave the city along with several of his agents as Homan took control, according to multiple reports.
“Noem’s rhetoric on the news has only fueled the flames in Minneapolis,” the ICE official told the Daily Mail. ‘Here comes Homan to the rescue.’
Asked by the Daily Mail whether Trump’s appointment of Homan signaled a loss of confidence in Noem’s leadership, a separate DHS official responded: ‘She’s on the bench.’
Kristi Noem faces Trump’s wrath as she orders her longtime rival, border czar Tom Homan, to clean up the chaos caused by the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis
Moments before Alex Pretti (on the ground) was fatally shot in the Minnesota city on Saturday
Kristi Noem with her longtime confidant and rumored boyfriend Corey Lewandowski (pictured right)
Noem and Homan have been fighting for control of Trump’s mass deportation agenda since the beginning of his second term. Under Noem’s leadership, non-law enforcement DHS officials have battled with career ICE officers seen as loyal to Homan over how to detain and deport illegal immigrants.
A person close to Noem offered an unusual explanation for her apparent stepping aside, claiming she was distracted by urgent weather conditions.
‘Although Noem answered questions about her stir in Minneapolis, she was primarily focused on FEMA and the weekend snowstorms,’ the source said. ‘With Homan now in office, Noem can focus on the response to ice storms and Homan can focus on the storm on ICE.’
Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump insider and rumored lover of Noem, publicly accused Homan of leaking information to the media and sought to oust immigration officials close to the border czar.
Homan appears to have the President’s support after Trump tasked him with cleaning up the mess caused by Noem’s leadership in the Twin Cities.
Another former senior ICE official, who maintains contact with officers in the field, said agents have been growing disillusioned with Noem and Lewandowski’s leadership for months.
‘Officers feel like they’ve been talked to all this time. It was “this is what you do” with the secretary and Corey. And unfortunately, the ICE director (Todd Lyons) toes the line by doing as he is told to avoid getting fired,” the official told the Daily Mail. ‘And Homan is not that guy.’
‘It now appears that Homan will be there to listen to their concerns and ideas on how we can do things better.’
While Homan’s elevation signals a sharp curtailment of Noem’s deportation authority, another White House official cautioned that it does not necessarily mean the end of her term. The source said Noem may be able to move past the scandal despite becoming increasingly isolated and weakened in Trump’s inner circle.
‘Obviously Homan’s announcement is a move to sideline Noem, but that doesn’t mean she’s done,’ the White House source said.
‘How many times have similar stories been written about Pete Hegseth or Tulsi Gabbard?’
A White House source suggested Noem’s fatal mistake was getting into a petty rivalry with Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan
Multiple DHS employees told the Daily Mail that Homan has the support of rank-and-file immigration officials who have lost confidence in Kristi Noem’s leadership.
Demonstrators gathered during a heavy snowstorm over the weekend to protest ICE’s presence in Minneapolis
A former senior DHS official echoed the frustration of rank-and-file immigration agents who have blasted Noem’s leadership, but warned that sending Homan to Minneapolis might be too late to undo the damage.
‘Noem has repeatedly demonstrated her incompetence and incompetence in running the Department of Homeland Security. ‘He shouldn’t have been nominated in the first place.’ The former official added that ‘even if Homan is more competent,’ it may be too late to improve the situation in Minneapolis.
New polling shows public support for ICE and Trump’s stance on immigration has plummeted in the last month since Noem launched her controversial Minnesota operation.
A new YouGov poll finds that nearly half of Americans now view ICE unfavorably, with many saying the agency’s tactics have gone too far and even supporting its abolition.
That statistic was seen as impossible a year ago after Trump returned to the White House with a clear immigration mandate from voters.
Trump’s approval rating on immigration has fallen by double digits amid lukewarm criticism from Republicans and harsh condemnations from Democratic lawmakers over Noem’s incessant scandals.
All eyes are now on Homan, who wants to end the chaos in Minneapolis by brokering a deal between Trump and Governor Walz that results in ICE agents being withdrawn from the city.
If successful, this could mean more trouble for Noem’s cabinet seat in the White House.
An ICE agent told the Daily Mail: ‘If Tom is successful in calming the situation in Minnesota, that would say a lot about his ability to lead this agency.’
