WASHINGTON — Border czar Tom Homan made clear there’s still no love lost between him and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in an interview Sunday.
Homan declined to defend Noem when CNN host Jake Tapper read a complaint a Minnesota politician claiming that she and former Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino “insane.”
“I talked to a local Minnesota official who told me the following: ‘Homan has been a straight shooter with us. He is easier for us to work with because he’s a career cop, and he knows how to talk with our law enforcement,” Tapper told Homan on the network’s “State of the Union” Sunday.
“Noem and Bovino were actually insane and not here to do anything other than put on a show.”
Homan brushed aside the broadside against Noem and Bovino, recounting how President Trump dispatched him to Minnesota, and he “just did things the way I’ve done for 40 years.”
He also admitted to disagreeing with Noem — seemingly confirming an ongoing power struggle that has played out since Trump took office.
“You can’t fix problems talking in an echo chamber. You got to talk to the people that you may disagree with. People have different opinions on how you’re doing it?” Homan said. “I think it’s safer in Minnesota, it’s safer in Minneapolis because now we have coordination from the jails.”
Behind the scenes, Homan has preferring to prioritize targeting criminal illegal aliens and Noem has wanted to go after everyone in the US illegally and conduct broad-based sweeps.
Last week, Homan announced the end of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, which began late last year in response to a massive fraud scandal that has roiled the state.