Amidst widespread controversy and unrest after ICE operations in Minneapolis killed multiple people, President Donald Trump held what aides described as an emergency Department of Homeland Security meeting on Tuesday with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, however, senior White House adviser Stephen Miller, was notably absent.
The meeting, lasting approximately two hours, was initiated by Noem amid intense criticism of the federal response to the January 24 death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was killed by federal agents earlier this month in Minneapolis. Miller, whose aggressive immigration policy positions have made him one of the most influential voices in the administration on border and interior enforcement, was not reported to have participated in the Oval Office session.
Pretti, a U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents during a federal immigration enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. Video of the incident appears to show Pretti standing between an agent and a woman the agent pushed to the ground before he is pepper sprayed, wrestled to the ground by six officers, and shot. Earlier in the month, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renée Good during a separate Minneapolis operation.
In the immediate aftermath of the Pretti incident, Miller took to social media and media appearances to call Pretti a "would-be assassin" and a "domestic terrorist." However, Miller, long associated with the Trump administration's most uncompromising enforcement policies, appears to be stepping back, at least temporarily, from direct involvement in crisis management.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a briefing following the session, emphasized Trump's desire for a comprehensive investigation and distanced the administration from inflammatory rhetoric about Pretti while reaffirming support for lawful enforcement actions. When asked about Miller's comments regarding Pretti, Leavitt responded, "I have not heard the president characterize Mr Pretti in that way. However, I have heard the president say he wants to let the facts and the investigation lead itself,"
Reportedly present in the meeting was Leavitt, Noem, Trump, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Communications Director Steven Cheung. In addition to the political pressure, legal actions have mounted. Minnesota and other jurisdictions have filed lawsuits challenging federal enforcement operations, and state officials have called for independent investigations into the use of force by federal agents.
These pressures have complicated Trump's broader immigration agenda, which had been characterized by rapid expansion of internal enforcement efforts known as Operation Metro Surge, a campaign to ramp up arrests and deportations across Minnesota that began in December 2025. Meanwhile, Prediction market traders on are increasingly betting that Noem will be out of the Trump administration before the end of 2026.
Calls for her resignation have come from key political figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. Members of the Republican Party like former Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have also criticized ICE's actions.
