The Trump administration is shifting its approach to immigration enforcement, moving away from the highly visible and aggressive tactics employed in Minneapolis and potentially applying a more targeted strategy to cities across the country, according to current and former Department of Homeland Security officials.
This represents a significant departure from the methods favored by Gregory Bovino, a high-ranking Border Patrol official. His approach, documented in social media videos and promoted by top Trump administration officials, has been put on hold following events in Minneapolis, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. Citizens.
“Enough of Bovino’s nonsense. That program is canceled,” a Department of Homeland Security official told CNN.
The return to more typical ICE enforcement tactics – identifying targets in advance rather than conducting widespread raids in areas with high levels of immigrant traffic – comes amid waning public support for the administration’s approach to arresting undocumented individuals. A recent poll reportedly shows nearly two-thirds of Americans believe ICE has gone too far in its immigration crackdown.
Protests and images emerging from Minneapolis late last month raised concerns among some Trump administration officials about the image projected by the immigration crackdown. President Trump himself privately expressed frustration with the loss of control over the messaging surrounding immigration, according to sources.
The debate over federal immigration enforcement has also contributed to a partial government shutdown affecting parts of the DHS, as Democrats have pushed for ICE reforms in exchange for supporting funding for the department.
“Targeting public safety threats is nothing new… Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of undocumented immigrants charged or convicted of a crime in the United States,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement, citing more than 700,000 deportations during the Trump administration.
While the administration has indicated it is prioritizing individuals with serious criminal backgrounds, many of those detained over the past year do not fall into that category. The DHS also recently issued a memo indicating that authorities should detain refugees who have not yet obtained permanent resident cards and subject them to further review.
Sources reported that, late last year, agents had begun focusing more on locating specific targets rather than relying on chance encounters. However, that changed with the unprecedented deployment of thousands of federal agents to Minneapolis following a welfare fraud scandal affecting the Somali community.
Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. Citizens, were fatally shot by federal agents during that operation. Two other officials are under investigation regarding their accounts of an incident in which an agent shot a Venezuelan national in the leg.
Tom Homan announced a drawdown of federal troops in Minneapolis last week, citing agreements with local officials that allow for increased cooperation.
Current and former Department of Homeland Security members emphasized that the shift toward a more targeted enforcement approach does not mean the crackdown is easing, as some cities may still see an increased presence of ICE agents. Large-scale raids are less likely, though officials cautioned that plans are subject to change.
The administration is also intensifying efforts to expand immigration detention, signaling plans to continue increasing arrests. “What they were doing was hoping that high-visibility enforcement operations would scare enough undocumented immigrants into self-deporting. I think that’s what they were thinking,” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for limited immigration.
“What they didn’t account for is that people, even though they still support the deportation of illegal immigrants, want to see less militarized-type action,” Krikorian added.
Following Trump’s sending of Homan to Minneapolis, Bovino was relieved of his position and returned to his post as sector chief of the El Centro Sector. He subsequently confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was recently at Mammoth Mountain, a ski resort in California, responding to a user: “Katie, the powder was excellent, and yes, there were runs! Mammoth is an excellent mountain and I look forward to returning! In the meantime, watch out for illegal immigrants!”
Bovino’s law enforcement style, and his arrest tactics, encapsulated the administration’s aggressive approach to its promise of mass deportation and its penchant for public disputes with critics over controversial actions. It also marked a shift in how responsibilities are generally divided between the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the latter typically handling arrests within the country.
Bovino’s style had the backing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The change in approach by Homan represents a critique of that style and reveals tensions within the administration over how to approach the president’s immigration agenda, according to officials.
Homan has generally favored a more focused approach to immigration law enforcement, wanting to prioritize threats to public safety and national security, as well as so-called “collaterals” – undocumented immigrants who may be in the vicinity of a specific operation.
“ICE was already doing interior enforcement before Bovino got involved. They prefer to do their operations without fanfare,” another Department of Homeland Security official told CNN. “(The Border Patrol) never wanted to be involved in these interior operations and will go back to focusing on the border.”
The shift also means “there are fewer characters in this play and fewer plotlines,” a former Trump administration official told CNN. “That’s where they think they’ve gotten things back on track,” the official added.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told CNN: “The entire president’s team is working together to implement his immigration enforcement agenda, which has always focused on prioritizing the worst criminal illegal aliens. Successful deportations, declining crime, and historic border security prove it. Anyone in the country illegally can be deported.”
Homan acknowledged problems on the ground in Minneapolis, including agent misconduct, almost immediately after arriving in the Twin Cities. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” Homan stated that he increased the presence of internal affairs agents in Minnesota since arriving to address allegations of improper conduct among immigration enforcement officers.
“In any case where there have been allegations of misconduct or operating outside of policy, it has been referred to internal affairs,” he said.
Within the Trump administration, there have been internal struggles between factions supporting Homan and those supporting Noem. Homan and Noem have rarely spoken in recent months, according to U.S. Officials. Homan noted on Sunday that he doesn’t agree with Noem “on everything,” but added that they discuss issues regularly and described the administration’s efforts as “a team, a fight.”
“We debate and share opinions. That’s what makes us a strong team. We bring different ideas and then agree on a mission,” Homan said.
