Trump Holds Lengthy Meeting With Kristi Noem After Minnesota Immigration Enforcement Shakeup

President Donald Trump met with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for nearly two hours in the Oval Office on Monday evening, The New York Times reported. Trump and Noem met shortly after the president sent his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis in an apparent shakeup of immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

The Oval Office meeting was requested by Noem, according to two people who spoke to the Times on the condition of anonymity. Corey Lewandowski, a top Trump adviser and temporary government employee, was also in the meeting. During the meeting, Trump did not suggest that Noem’s job was at risk, the Times reported. The Daily Wire reached out to the White House for comment.

Noem and Lewandowski are on one side of a growing divide in the Trump administration over how it handles immigration operations, while Homan and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons are on the other side, The Daily Wire reported on Monday. Homan and Lyons have opposed some of Noem’s theatrical tactics and would rather focus on arresting violent, illegal immigrant criminals.

Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Communications Director Steven Cheung were also in the meeting on Monday evening.

On Monday, the administration reportedly relieved Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino of his duties of overseeing operations across the country. Bovino, who had been in Minneapolis, will now head back to the El Centro sector of the California border. Bovino has sided with Noem and against Homan over how to handle immigration operations. After he was relieved of his duties on Monday, Bovino was also locked out of his official social media accounts, CNN reported. Bovino and some Customs and Border Protection agents are expected to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday.

The shakeup comes shortly after an armed Minneapolis resident was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday. The resident, Alex Pretti, was shot around 10 times in five seconds during an alleged confrontation with federal agents during an immigration operation. The shooting and the Department of Homeland Security’s response sparked backlash, even among some Republicans.

After the shooting, Secretary Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and suggested that carrying a firearm at a protest meant he was there “to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.” So far, there is no evidence that Pretti planned on using his firearm against federal agents, and video appears to show that he was disarmed before he was shot. An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Sources inside Noem’s department told Daily Wire reporter Jennie Taer that the Homeland Security secretary’s comment “was a horrible response.”

“It was a horrible response,” said one official. “Many people I’ve heard from say it was unprofessional. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“The people in DHS are frustrated with Secretary Noem and the way DHS is handling the media,” the official added. “The employees want a more professional response, not memes and one-liners.”

Leavitt said on Monday that Homan taking the point in Minneapolis does not mean Noem’s job is in jeopardy, adding that Noem “will continue to lead the Department of Homeland Security with the full trust and confidence of the president.”

“Tom Homan is uniquely positioned to drop everything and focus solely on Minnesota to solve the problems that have been created by the lack of cooperation from state and local officials,” Leavitt added.