Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem underwent tough questioning from senators on Tuesday, including a number of tense exchanges between her and Senate Republicans who criticized her handling of deadly altercations between immigration officers and U.S. citizens earlier this year.
Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, marking the first time she has appeared before Congress since a pair of deadly shootings in Minnesota in January. The top immigration official faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans who expressed disappointment in her tenure so far, with some even going so far as to call for her resignation.
“A lot of us are very frustrated with the disaster that President (Joe) Biden left behind, and a failed DHS,” Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who has previously called for Noem’s removal, said during the hearing. “It’s why I’m angry and it’s why I’ve been critical of you, Secretary Noem. Because we’re missing an opportunity.”
Noem’s testimony also comes as the Department of Homeland Security is shut down, largely due to Democrats’ opposition to the secretary’s handling of immigration policy and her response to the deadly ICE shootings in Minneapolis.
Noem sought to defend her job performance, occasionally engaging in tense back-and-forths and, at one point, a visibly upset Tillis, R-N.C., who raised his voice at the secretary.
Here are some of the main takeaways from Noem’s fiery testimony on Capitol Hill.
Senators challenge Noem’s ‘domestic terrorism’ label of Alex Pretti
Noem faced bipartisan questioning on her description of Alex Pretti, the man shot and killed by immigration officers on Jan. 24, as someone engaging in “domestic terrorism.”
In the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s death, the White House scrambled to respond to the situation — leading to contradictory reports and statements until hours later, senators argue. In a news conference following the shooting on that day, Noem claimed Pretti had “brandished” a weapon despite contradictory video footage and accused the 37-year-old of committing “domestic terrorism.”
Noem has faced growing criticism for that label, prompting several senators on Tuesday to challenge her on it.
“When I spoke to Alex Pretti’s parents, they said (that) you calling him a domestic terrorist was one of the most hurtful things imaginable,” Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is now running as governor in Minnesota, said. “Do you have anything to say to his family?”
“I didn’t call him one,” Noem replied. “I said it appeared to be an incident of domestic terrorism.”
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pressed Noem further, citing news reports that the secretary had privately blamed Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security, for the characterization. That exchange was reported by Axios, which Noem denied as being a product of “anonymous sources.”
“Do you think it was fair to blame Mr. Miller for your words?” Kennedy asked.
“Sir, I did not do that,” Noem said.
“Are you denying that you said that?” Kennedy replied.
“Sir, I’m not going to speak to that situation that is relayed on anonymous sources that — no one has heard me say that,” she said.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, also challenged Noem to ask whether “calling the victims of violence ‘domestic terrorists’ is a way to calm the scene?”
“These violent terrorists have put them in a situation where they’ve been — it’s unprecedented what these agents have faced,” Noem said in response.
Protesters interrupt Noem’s testimony
During her remarks, at least two protesters were removed at separate points during Noem’s testimony for interrupting and yelling at the Homeland Security secretary.
Minutes into the hearing, a protester who identified herself as a former FEMA employee yelled at Noem during her opening statements as Capitol Police officers removed her from the hearing room. A second protester interrupted during a senator’s line of questioning.
Republican compares Noem’s leadership style to story of her killing dog
In one of the most tense exchanges of the hearing, Tillis dug into Noem’s leadership as being impulsive and dangerous.
In her book “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward” that was published in 2024 ahead of the presidential election, Noem refers to a story in which she killed her dog because the animal was “untrainable” and “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with.”
Later in the book, Noem also recounts killing her goat in the same manner: shooting them with a gun in a gravel pit.
“You decided to kill that dog because you had not invested in the appropriate time for training it and then you have the audacity to go and into a book and say it’s a leadership lesson!” Tillis cried out during the Senate hearing. “Those are bad decisions, made in the heat of the moment. Not unlike what happened up in Minneapolis.”
“We expect exceptional leadership,” Tillis went on, “and you’ve demonstrated anything but that.”
Democrat brings U.S. citizens who had been arrested by ICE
During his questioning of Noem, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal pressed the secretary on reports of U.S. citizens who have been apprehended by immigration officials — and even brought a few of them to sit in the hearing room.
Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Noem if she agrees “no citizen working lawfully” should be arrested, and the secretary sidestepped the question to say that there may be instances in which those individuals are arrested until their identities are confirmed.
“Wouldn’t you agree that targeting someone just because he is or looks like he is Mexican when he’s a United States citizen is wrong?” Blumenthal asked.
“Senator, we do not target people based on race or their ethnicity,” Noem replied. “We do targeted operations based on criminal backgrounds.”
Blumenthal also pointed out a woman named Marimar Martinez who was shot five times by immigration officers last year and was accused of trying to use her car to assault the officers. Her case was later dismissed in November.
“Is the agent who shot Ms. Martinez still on the job?” Blumenthal asked, pointing to Martinez, who was in the hearing room. “Is he still on the job carrying a gun?”
“I don’t know the details,” Noem said.
“Would you agree he shouldn’t be?” Blumenthal asked.
“I’ll get back to you,” Noem replied.
“I think Americans would find it absolutely terrifying that agent is still on the job carrying a gun,” Blumenthal said.
