US homeland chief Kristi Noem stands by remarks calling slain US citizens terrorists
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US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended calling US citizens shot by federal agents "domestic terrorists" in congressional testimony, refusing to retract remarks despite bipartisan criticism.
- The Trump administration shifted its immigration enforcement strategy to targeted approaches after citizen deaths caused outrage. Democrats are refusing new departmental funding without policy changes.
- Noem faces a likely-to-fail impeachment effort and public backlash over enforcement. Immigration policies could become a Republican liability in upcoming midterm elections.
AI generated
WASHINGTON - US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during congressional testimony on Feb 3 stood by her remarks calling two US citizens shot dead by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis domestic terrorists.
Ms Noem, who is overseeing Republican President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, was pressed about her statements by Democratic lawmakers during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Shortly after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were slain
Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the committee, repeatedly asked Ms Noem if she would retract her statements concerning Ms Good and Mr Pretti as well as her similar remarks about another US citizen who survived after being shot five times in a confrontation with federal agents in Chicago.
“I was getting reports from the ground, from agents at the scene,” Ms Noem testified, calling the situations chaotic but declining to retract or apologise for her statements. “I absolutely strive to provide factual information.”
Ms Noem, appointed by Mr Trump in 2025, faced tough questions from senators about Mr Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics during the hearing, her first congressional appearance since Ms Good and Mr Pretti were killed.
The outrage caused by their deaths prompted the Trump administration to shift its strategy, moving away from large-scale, city-focused surges and towards a more targeted approach.
Under Ms Noem, thousands of masked federal agents have been deployed to US cities, where they have swept through neighborhoods in search of possible immigration offenders and clashed with residents amid street protests against their actions.
Congressional Democrats have refused to agree to new funding for her department without changes to immigration enforcement practices. Funding for the 260,000-employee department lapsed in February, but most of its immigration enforcement and national security operations are deemed essential and continue.
Ms Noem said on March 3 that 650 federal agents remain in Minnesota, down from about 3,000 in January.
Senator Chuck Grassley, the committee’s Republican chairman, acknowledged in opening remarks that “mistakes have been made” by the administration but defended immigration officers, saying they “should never be threatened or harmed while enforcing our laws.”
Mr Trump has said mass deportations are needed after high levels of illegal immigration under his Democratic predecessor, Mr Joe Biden, and has defended Ms Noem’s job performance.
House Democrats launched an effort in January to impeach Ms Noem, saying immigration agents under her leadership have violated the civil rights of US citizens, that she had blocked congressional oversight of detention centres for migrants, and that she gave government contracts to Republican-affiliated firms and people connected to close associates of hers.
The impeachment effort is likely to fail, with the House controlled by Republicans.
Iran war
Mr Grassley asked Ms Noem about steps to protect against potential sleeper cells and terrorism amid the US-Israel war against Iran. Ms Noem did not cite any specifics but said her department was taking a closer look at social media activity and interviews of immigrants who previously entered the United States under various programmes.
“We are working every single day to find them and to make sure that we’re preventing the next attack,” said Ms Noem, a former governor of South Dakota.
Mr Trump’s immigration policies, once an area of strength, could now be a liability for Republicans trying to retain control of Congress in November midterm elections. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in February found that while a majority of Americans support deporting immigrants without legal status, about 60 per cent think immigration agents have gone too far.
Ms Noem is scheduled to appear before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on March 4. REUTERS
