Trump reveals 'very good' talk with Jacob Frey as Minneapolis mayor pledges to work with Tom Homan says ICE agents will begin leaving city
By Stephen M. Lepore
Daily Mail
Jan 26, 2026
Donald Trump said he had a 'very good' phone call with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as the president continues to try to mend the chaos that has taken over the city.
The president promised that Frey would work together with Border Czar Tom Homan to improve the situation after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'I just had a very good telephone conversation with Mayor Jacob Frey, of Minneapolis. Lots of progress is being made! Tom Homan will be meeting with him tomorrow in order to continue the discussion.'
Frey responded in a social media post of his own, writing: 'I spoke with President Trump today and appreciated the conversation. I expressed how much Minneapolis has benefited from our immigrant communities and was clear that my main ask is that Operation Metro Surge needs to end. The president agreed the present situation can’t continue.'
The mayor then confirmed that 'some federal agents will begin leaving the area' starting on Tuesday, though Frey continues to want all of them gone.
'I will continue working with all levels of government to keep our communities safe, keep crime down, and put Minneapolis residents first. I plan to meet with Border Czar Tom Homan tomorrow to further discuss next steps.'
The president has reached across the aisle to both the Frey and fellow Democrat Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as part of a Homan led shakeup of the immigration crackdown.
Previously, relations between Trump and the left-wing leaders had been in shambles over recent ICE raids in the city and protests in response to the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The president promised that Frey would work together with Border Czar Tom Homan to improve the situation
Trump sidelined Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday, dispatching Homan to take charge of the deteriorating crisis in Minnesota after Pretti was shot dead on Saturday.
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino - dubbed 'little Napoleon' - has been ordered to leave Minneapolis.
Homan is expected to hold a press conference later today where Bovino's departure, along with that of hundreds of his agents, will be announced.
The decision is aimed at de-escalating the violence between federal agents and rioters which exploded on Saturday after the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse.
Bovino, the controversial face of Trump's crackdown and a close ally of Noem, sparked fury in the White House when he claimed Pretti intended to 'massacre' federal agents.
Trump spent hours on Sunday and Monday watching cable news coverage and was unsettled by how the administration was being portrayed, one official told CNN.
Noem branded the ICU nurse a 'domestic terrorist' and claimed he brandished a firearm, sparking further frustration among administration officials.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt distanced Trump from Noem's language on Monday, arguing that it was not a position that the President had taken.
Bovino is a loyalist to Noem and her rumored lover Corey Lewandowski, and both have quietly pushed him as a potential replacement for current Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott, a longtime ally of Homan.
Frey responded in a social media post of his own, promising to work with Homan (pictured)
Noem has sought to sideline Scott by having Bovino report directly to her, an unprecedented move within the agency.
Bovino's removal from Minneapolis underscores Noem's fading standing with the White House as Trump dispatches Homan and his closest allies to seize control of the operation on the ground.
A Border Patrol veteran of 30 years, Bovino was selected last year from his role as chief patrol agent of the agency's El Centro sector in Southern California to lead highly publicized immigration crackdowns across the country.
His aggressive tactics, often highly choreographed public displays, sparked backlash from local officials.
Bovino often stood out as the only agent not wearing a face covering when Border Patrol descended on Home Depots and gas stations.
He has gone viral on social media as he is frequently spotted on the frontlines sporting a severe buzzcut and trench coat, which German media has likened to a 'Nazi aesthetic.'
California's governor Gavin Newsom said on X: 'Greg Bovino dressed up as if he literally went on eBay and purchased SS garb. Greg Bovino, secret police, private army, masked men, people disappearing quite literally, no due process.'
Bovino hit back, claiming he had the coat for more than 25 years and it was official Border Patrol merchandise.
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino (pictured center) - dubbed 'little Napoleon' - has been ordered to leave Minneapolis
Trump sidelined Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (pictured) on Monday, dispatching Homan to take charge of the deteriorating crisis in Minnesota after Alex Pretti was shot dead on Saturday
Jenn Budd, an author and expert on Border Patrol, described Bovino as 'the Liberace' of the agency.
'He was just a little Napoleon who wants you to think that he is the most moral and capable guy in the world, and everything around you is dangerous but he's the one who's going to save you,' Budd told The Times. 'It's all a show for him.'
He once invited journalists to watch him swim across a canal in Southern California's Imperial Valley, hoping to deter migrants considering the crossing.
After Trump was re-elected, Bovino used similar public relations expertise to catch the president's eye.
He sent dozens of agents to arrest migrants at gas stations along the highway ahead of Trump's inauguration.
Asked why Bovino was chosen to lead the force, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told reporters bluntly: 'Because he's a badass.'
But while Bovino's strongman image earned him Trump's respect, his self-proclaimed 'turn and burn' enforcement strategies have sparked concern.
A federal judge in November accused Bovino of being 'evasive' and at times 'outright lying' in sworn testimony about an immigration crackdown in Chicago, finding his account 'simply not credible.'
Judge Sara Ellis wrote that Bovino even admitted he lied about being hit with a rock before ordering tear gas used, and noted that video evidence flatly contradicted his claim that he never tackled a protester.
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