White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday publicly backed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and federal law enforcement leaders operating in Minnesota as tensions flare following Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. 

Trump announced Monday that he would deploy border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, prompting questions about whether the move reflected any frustration with the officials already overseeing the response on the ground.

«Secretary Noem still has the utmost confidence and trust of the president of the United States, and she’s continuing to oversee the entire Department of Homeland Security and all of the immigration enforcement that’s taking place across the whole entire country,» Leavitt said during a press briefing Monday when asked if the president was dissatisfied with how the officials on the ground handled the shooting. 

The Department of Homeland Security oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), meaning Noem was juggling the immigration crackdown as well as a massive snow storm that rocked a large portion of the U.S. Sunday. 

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«Of course, Secretary Noem is also in charge of FEMA, and we are in the wake of a brutal winter storm where hundreds of thousands of Americans have been impacted by that,» Leavitt continued. «So border czar Homan is in a unique position to drop everything and go to Minnesota to continue having these productive conversations with state and local officials. And I know that he’s catching a plane in just a few hours to do just that.» 

Leavitt also defended senior United States Border Patrol Commander Gregor Bovino during the press conference, calling him a «wonderful man, and he’s a great professional.»

«He is going to have very much continue to lead Customs and Border Patrol, throughout and across the country,» Leavitt said. «Mr. Homan will be the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis to follow up.» 

President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that he was deploying the border czar to Minnesota and that he would report directly to the president, sparking questions over whether Trump’s confidence in his federal immigration law enforcement officials was slipping. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at press conference to discuss ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, at One World Trade Center in New York City, Jan. 8, 2026.  (David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters)

«I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,» Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Leavitt told Fox Digital that «Homan will be managing ICE operations on the ground in Minnesota and coordinating with others on the ongoing fraud investigations,» but did not add whether the president has lost confidence in current leadership on the ground. 

A protester is detained by Federal agents near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Adam Gray) (Adam Gray/The Associated Press )

Tensions in Minnesota further flared over the weekend when 37-year-old Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol Saturday. Federal authorities say Pretti, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, approached agents with a 9 mm handgun and did not cooperate when they tried to disarm him. 

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The fatal shooting follows another fatal shooting on Jan. 7 of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Good’s and Pretti’s deaths have spurred an outpouring of condemnation and outrage from critics of the administration, arguing the government has blood on its hands and heightening protest confrontations with law enforcement officials. 

Leavitt added Monday that Homan has the «full trust and faith of the president» as he travels to Minnesota and continues delivering on the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. 

«Mr. Homan is the point person for cooperating with state and local authorities and corresponding with them again, to achieve this level of cooperation, to subdue the chaos on the streets of Minneapolis,» she said. «And I would just point out that Mr. Homan is someone who has been lauded for many, many decades for his experience working in law enforcement.»

Leavitt pointed to an old Washington Post headline celebrating Homan a decade ago. 

«In fact, this is a Washington Post headline from nine years ago, 2016: Meet the man the White House is honored for deporting illegal immigrants. And I would remind everyone in this room that it was former President Barack Hussein Obama who awarded a medal to Mr. Homan,» she continued. 

Federal immigration officers deploy tear gas at protesters after a shooting Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis.  (Abbie Parr/The Associated Press )

Trump revealed on Truth Social Monday that he had a productive phone call with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who he said requested that the local government work with federal officials amid the chaos. 

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«It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength. I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession,» Trump wrote. 

President Donald Trump arrives at a dedication ceremony for a portion of Southern Boulevard that the Town of Palm Beach Council recently voted to rename President Donald J. Trump Boulevard at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, Jan. 16, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

«The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future. He was happy that Tom Homan was going to Minnesota, and so am I! We have had such tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually every other place that we have ‘touched’ and, even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!» Trump continued in his post. 

Walz’s office told Fox Digital Monday that the governor had a «productive» call with Trump, pressing for impartial investigations into the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents — and urging a reduction in the federal footprint in Minnesota.

Gov. Tim Walz held a productive phone call with President Donald Trump Monday as tensions flare in Minnesota, the president shared on Truth Social.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

«The President agreed that he would talk to his Department of Homeland Security about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case,» Walz’s office continued. «The President also agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and working with the state in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals.» 

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Walz’s office said the governor also «reminded» Trump that Minnesota’s Department of Corrections honors federal immigration detainers — and that there isn’t a «single documented» instance of the agency releasing someone from state prison without first offering to facilitate a smooth transfer of custody.

Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado argued that a successful democratic transition for her country would rapidly transform the nation’s economy and reverse years of instability, reshaping the region’s political landscape.

Machado told the New York Post in an interview that such an outcome would define Trump’s foreign policy legacy, comparing it to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

«The legacy to the world is going to be huge,» she explained. «You’re going to have a prosperous Venezuela and the region.… If you make a comparison in history, this would mean for the Americas as much as the fall of the Berlin Wall had for Europe. It’s equivalent.

«For the first time in history, you will have the Americas free of communism, dictatorship and narco-terrorism for the first time,» she added.

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Machado said she intends to return to Venezuela soon to help drive a democratic transition despite the risks she faces under the country’s current government.

«I need to be there. I want to go back as soon as possible,» Machado said.

Her planned return would come at a pivotal moment for Venezuela, as interim President Delcy Rodríguez leads a U.S.-backed transition following the removal of Nicolás Maduro.

Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro, was sworn into office on Jan. 5 after U.S. forces ousted the ex-leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their compound in Caracas during a military operation.

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The State Department told Fox News that a «limited number» of people are working on the ground in Venezuela. (Jessica Koscielniak/Reuters; Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)

The duo were flown to New York and arraigned in federal court on multiple charges to which they pleaded not guilty.

Rodríguez has since been working with the White House and has spoken with President Donald Trump by phone.

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Machado, however, voiced deep reservations about Rodríguez’s leadership, warning that the transition risks falling short without a broader break from the Maduro-era government.

«If Delcy Rodríguez stays, nothing truly changes,» she told the Post. «There will be no rule of law, no trust, no stability. Venezuelans will not come home under a criminal.»

La Unión Europea parece estar siguiendo el consejo que el primer ministro canadiense Mark Carney dio la semana pasada en Davos sobre la importancia de la cooperación de las potencias medias en un mundo donde Estados Unidos, China y, en menor medida Rusia porque es más débil, pretenden repartirse el planeta en zonas de influencia como si viviéramos en la era de los imperialismos del siglo XVIII y XIX.

Europa apuesta por India para firmar este martes el mayor acuerdo de libre comercio del planeta si se tiene en cuenta que involucrará a casi 2.000 millones de personas, casi el triple que el firmado con Mercosur. Bruselas echa el resto y a Delhi viajaron sus principales altos cargos, en el equivalente a una visita de Estado mientras los expertos cierran los últimos flecos del trato.

Las cifras dicen que la Unión Europea es el primer socio comercial de India y que su intercambio de bienes llegó en 2023 a 124.000 millones de euros, más del 10% de todo el comercio indio. Para los europeos es un socio mucho menor, que representa menos del 2,5% del comercio exterior del bloque. Pero el acuerdo tiene importancia más allá de los números porque Europa necesita diversificar a marchas forzadas.

Por eso este acuerdo, además del comercial, incluye un trato sobre seguridad y defensa, un intento de los europeos de alejar definitivamente a India de los mercados de armas rusos, para cerrar otra fuente de divisas a Moscú. India ha tenido siempre tendencia a acercarse a Rusia como una forma de protegerse de su principal rival, China.

India está aumentando rápidamente sus presupuestos militares y el acuerdo abre una oportunidad para la industria europea. Europa mataría aquí dos pájaros de un tiro, porque reduciría los ingresos rusos por exportaciones de armas y abriría mercados a empresas europeas como la francesa Dassault (que fabrica el avión de combate Rafale), la española Navantia (que está aumentando su exportación de buques militares) o la alemana Rheinmettall, que fabrica buena parte de los carros de combate alemanes.

El acuerdo no tiene la ambición comercial del firmado con Mercosur, porque la situación previa es muy diferente. India impone generalmente aranceles que llegan al 110% en el caso de los autos importados. El trato bajará muchos de esos aranceles a una banda entre el 30% y el 40%.

La presidenta de la Comisión Europea, la alemana Úrsula Von der Leyen, dijo antes de partir hacia India que se trata de firmar “la madre de todos los acuerdos” y que “la India y Europa han hecho una elección clara. La elección de la asociación estratégica, el diálogo y la apertura. Estamos mostrando a un mundo fragmentado que otro camino es posible”.

Von der Leyen, el presidente del Consejo Europeo António Costa y la canciller europea Kaja Kallas, participaron este lunes en una gran ceremonia de bienvenida en Delhi, con desfiles militares y bailes tradicionales.

India también negocia desde agosto con Estados Unidos, pero desde el anuncio del inicio de las negociaciones no ha habido avances.

Y mientras Europa busca más amigos entre las potencias medias, en el Parlamento Europeo crece el consenso para suspender sine die la votación que debe aprobar (este no puede aplicarse provisionalmente como el firmado con Mercosur) el acuerdo comercial al que la Comisión Europea llegó en julio con Estados Unidos.

En aquella reunión, en una propiedad inmobiliaria del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump en Escocia, la Comisión Europea y la Casa Blanca firmaron la imposición de un arancel general del 15% a todo producto europeo que importara Estados Unidos. Un arancel que no es recíproco en Europa y que Von der Leyen justificó como una forma de evitar una guerra comercial de peores consecuencias. Detrás estaba el miedo a perder el paraguas de seguridad estadounidense, que de todas formas ya parece perdido.

En el Parlamento Europeo se vio como una humillación y a Von der Leyen le llovieron críticas incluso de ministros europeos. A pesar de esas críticas, el Parlamento Europeo se disponía finalmente a votar este febrero a favor del acuerdo, hasta que Donald Trump empezó a amenazar con anexionarse por la fuerza la isla danesa de Groenlandia.

Mientras Von der Leyen y la presidenta del Parlamento Europeo, la conservadora Roberta Metsola, creen que la situación interna en Estados Unidos no debe mezclarse con las relaciones entre Bruselas y Washington, y por lo tanto hay que aprobar el acuerdo, crece el consenso para no hacerlo. El Partido Popular Europeo, la gran fuerza de los conservadores tradicionales, está en su mayoría a favor de votar ya. Pero socialdemócratas, izquierda radical, verdes y liberales se niegan.

La líder de los socialdemócratas, la española Iratxe García, dijo el fin de semana: “En el actual contexto político, caracterizado por anuncios en rápida evolución por parte del presidente Trump, debemos actuar con cautela para preservar nuestra soberanía y proteger los intereses de nuestros ciudadanos. Este lunes se reúne el comité de Comercio Internacional para tomar la decisión de si se lleva a voto, con el riesgo de que se rechace el acuerdo, o si por el momento sigue en el congelador.