Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended her department’s immigration enforcement tactics in front of a Senate committee on Tuesday, and fought criticism that she underplayed the killings of U.S. citizens Renee Good — a 37-year-old mother of three — and Alex Pretti — a 37-year-old intensive care nurse — who were shot by immigration agents during anti-ICE protests in Minnesota earlier this year.
It was the first time Noem appeared before the committee since their deaths, which spurred a general strike in Minnesota and a wave of national protests in response to how the Trump administration is executing its immigration crackdown.
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Protests erupt outside Bovino’s Minnesota hotel after fatal shooting of Alex Pretti
During the hearing, Noem defended her portrayal of Good and Pretti as armed agitators, despite contradictory accounts from local officials and bystander video suggesting otherwise. She called their deaths “tragic situations” but stood by the federal government’s treatment of people it says are dangerous criminals residing illegally in the U.S. and blamed activists and others for attacks against federal agents.
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Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee, repeatedly questioned Noem about her characterizations of Good, Pretti and other protesters seeking to defend the rights of immigrants and called on her to apologize.
“You and your agency rushed to brand these victims as, quote, domestic terrorists,” Durbin said. “We have ample video evidence and eyewitness testimony proving you are wrong. Your statements caused immeasurable pain to these families.”
Noem said she was relying on information from people on the scene and blamed “violent protesters” for contributing to the chaos officers were up against.
“I want to address the dangerous environment that our ICE officers face on the streets today,” Noem said. “They are facing a serious and escalating threat as a result of deliberate mischaracterizations of their heroic work and rhetoric that demonizes our law enforcement.”
Since the deaths of Good and Pretti, the administration has largely retreated from Minnesota and excused the operation’s leader, Greg Bovino, from his duties. However, it has also purchased warehouses for immigration detention and continued its anti-immigration tactics in other parts of the country, which has caused an unresolved rift in Congress over Noem’s department’s funding package.
Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take control. Homan has since announced a drawdown of agents sent to Minnesota, although he says the president’s mass deportation agenda still stands.
Noem said about 650 investigators remain in Minnesota as part of a broader fraud probe.
Republicans largely kept their focus on the number of immigrants who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration and painted the Trump administration’s efforts to evict them as successfully cleaning up a mess left by his predecessor.
Noem faced criticism from Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who questioned whether Trump knew about the US$200-million price tag on an ad campaign she appeared in last year, encouraging migrants to leave the U.S. voluntarily.
Noem defended the ads, saying they were effective and went through the regular department bidding process.
“Well, they were effective in your name recognition,” Kennedy responded.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said Noem was “incompetent” and called the agency a “disaster” under her leadership, before calling for her resignation.
Noem is also slated to appear before the House committee on Wednesday.
— With files from The Associated Press
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