Noem Faces Bipartisan Criticism of Immigration Record at Senate Hearing

What to know about Noem’s testimony to Congress:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced skepticism from both sides of the aisle at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, with lawmakers criticizing her handling of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.

Most GOP senators expressed support for Noem and the administration, but two were critical: John Kennedy of Louisiana and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The most contentious part of the hearing came when Tillis said Noem’s tenure has been a “disaster.” He vowed to block the administration’s nominees and bring Senate business to a halt until Noem answers his questions and addresses concerns about stonewalling internal investigations.

Many Democrats focused on Noem’s response to the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. At the time, Noem claimed they had engaged in acts of “domestic terrorism,” an assertion that was quickly contradicted by video evidence and witness accounts.

At the hearing, Noem expressed regret for their deaths and said she had been relaying information that was given to her by agents on the ground. She declined several opportunities to retract her comments or apologize to Good and Pretti’s families.

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Noem doesn’t apologize for “domestic terrorism” comments

Given multiple opportunities by Democratic Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont to apologize for her comments accusing Pretti and Good of domestic terrorism shortly after they were each shot, Noem did not apologize.

Following up on earlier questions, Welch asked Noem whether she wanted to take an opportunity to apologize to Pretti and Good’s families for the characterization.

Noem offered her condolences to the families, reiterating that it was a “tragic situation.”

Welch pressed her on the question, asking again whether she wanted to apologize for the characterization.

“I will continue everyday to get up and to work hard to give everybody factual information,” Noem said.

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Booker says Noem should step down or be removed

In a heated exchange, Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, criticized the DHS secretary and argued that she should resign or be removed from her role.

“You are violating separation of powers, violating court orders and routinely violating the civil rights of Americans,” Booker said. “This is a reckless and out of control agency that you are responsible for.”

Booker said what’s “phenomenal” to him is that addressing immigration was Mr. Trump’s No. 1 issue in the 2024 election.

“But now it’s overwhelmingly unpopular. And it’s not because you are deporting dangerous people that everybody here wants out of our country. No, it’s because you’re going into our schools, you’re terrorizing our children, you’re detaining children, you’re arresting Americans, you’re breaking into our homes, you’re terrorizing our streets, you’re violating our rights to peacefully protest again and again and again,” Booker said.

Noem said “none of that is true.”

“You are trying to impede us from enforcing the law and getting dangerous criminals off of our streets so we don’t have more families like the ones that are sitting behind me,” Noem said, referring to the loved one of victims of crimes by immigrants who were in the country illegally.

Booker said “either you are utterly incompetent, or you are violating laws with impunity.”

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Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, heavily criticized the DHS secretary for her handling of immigration enforcement, using his allotted time for a “performance evaluation,” rather than a line of questioning.

Tillis said “time after time I’ve been disappointed” with Noem’s leadership.

He cited the Biden administration’s record on immigration, saying “a lot of of us are very frustrated with the disaster that President Biden left behind, and a failed DHS.”

“It’s why I’m angry and it’s why I’ve been critical of you, Secretary Noem,” Tillis said. “Because we’re missing an opportunity”

Tillis, who was the first Republican senator to call for Noem to be ousted from her role in the aftermath of the Minnesota shootings, said that “one of the reasons President Trump won a year and a half ago is because people were sick and tired of a Democratic administration’s open border policy.” He said he’s been critical of Noem because “we have limited resources — ICE can’t be everywhere at once.”

“So why am I disappointed with Secretary Noem? Because we’re not going after enough people who did this damage at the expense of running numbers that Stephen Miller wants out of the White House. We just want numbers,” Tillis said. “Because numbers matter, right? No, they don’t matter. Quality matters, not quantity — quality. And what we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership, Ms. Noem. A disaster.”

Tillis said “what we’ve seen is innocent people getting detained” who turn out to be American citizens. He cited the “culture that’s been created here,” while criticizing the “domestic terrorist” label Noem used after the shootings in Minneapolis.

Tillis also cited a letter from the DHS Officer of Inspector General with 10 instances under Noem’s leadership where investigators said they have been misled and unable to pursue critically important matters.

“That is stonewalling, that’s a failure of leadership, and that is why I’ve called for your resignation,” Tillis said.

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