President Trump Reportedly Pulls Kristi Noem From Minnesota After Deadly Alex Pretti Incident

President Donald Trump appears to have quietly pulled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from Minnesota following the fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti, as fallout continues over the federal response to the incident.

While the White House has not formally announced Noem’s removal, multiple reports indicate that federal leadership overseeing the Minneapolis operation has been scaled back in the days since Pretti’s death.

CBS News reported on Tuesday, January 27, that sources familiar with the situation have said internal scrutiny intensified after the shooting, and this prompted a shift in oversight away from Noem, 54, and toward other administration officials.

Pretti, 37, was killed during a protest in Minneapolis after an encounter with U.S. Border Patrol agents, sparking nationwide outrage and renewed debate over federal law enforcement tactics.

The Department of Homeland Security initially claimed that Pretti approached agents with a handgun and violently resisted efforts to disarm him, prompting an agent to fire what DHS described as “defensive shots.”

However, video footage later reviewed and verified by The New York Times appeared to raise questions about that account.

The footage showed Pretti standing among protesters with his hands visible and a phone in one hand as pepper spray was deployed. Agents then restrained him on the sidewalk, with the video not clearly showing him holding or reaching for a weapon during the encounter.

In the wake of the shooting, Noem was questioned at the White House about DHS’s handling of the situation, according to the outlet. Although Trump, 79, has publicly said she is expected to keep her job, insiders told CBS News that her role in Minnesota enforcement efforts has effectively been reduced.

Border enforcement leadership in Minneapolis has reportedly been reshuffled, with some agents departing the area as federal priorities shift. Noem, meanwhile, is said to be refocusing on southern border operations rather than high profile interior deployments like those seen in Minnesota.