Two Republican senators said Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem must resign in the wake of the second fatal shooting by immigration authorities in Minnesota.
Democrats had already called for Noem to lose her job after Customs and Border Protection officials in Minneapolis shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse. In the immediate aftermath, Noem called Pretty a “domestic terrorist” after federal agents fatally shot him on Saturday.
Now, Sen. Thom Tillis, a retiring Republican from North Carolina, has also blasted Noem, saying she needed to step aside.
“I think that what she's done in Minnesota should be disqualifying; she should be out of a job,” Tillis told The Independent. “It's just amateurish. It's terrible. It's making the president look bad on policies that he won on.”
Tillis has become increasingly critical of Trump’s top officials, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who claimed that Pretti had “tried to assassinate federal law enforcement.” So far, the White House has not backed down from the comments, which Vice President JD Vance retweeted.
But Tillis criticized both Noem and top CBP official Greg Bovino, whom The Atlantic reported had been removed from his role, though the White House denied it.
“Bovino, whatever his name is, he needs to go back to California, get his retirement papers and go,” Tillis said. “These people are amateurs. They got to de-escalate there and treat these communities with some respect.”
Tillis is not alone in his criticism, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate from Alaska, loudly criticizing Noem as well.
“The Secretary has an opportunity, in fact, she has an obligation to control these situations that are under her jurisdiction, and she has not done so, and rhetoric like that does not help it,” she told The Independent. “She has, through her words and I think interactions, taken a direction that has not been helpful to the situation, and I don't think that it helps the country.”
Murkowski surprised many last year when she voted for President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which provided more than $75 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrats have said they will oppose a spending bill that includes funding the Department of Homeland Security precisely because Republicans beefed up spending for ICE last year.
Both Tillis and Murkowski voted to confirm Noem. But Murkowski said she had reservations about Noem.
“I voted for her,” Murkowski told The Independent. “I think the President needs to look at who he has in place. As the Secretary of Homeland Security, I would not support her again, and I think it's probably time for her to step down.”
But even Republicans who support Noem disagreed with her description of Pretti.
“I don't call him a domestic terrorist,” Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma told The Independent.
Other Republicans dodged the question. Noem has powerful allies in Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a fellow South Dakotan who worked with her when she was governor of the state.
“I think we should have a full and complete investigation, and then we'll be able to make a determination,” Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota told The Independent when asked about her calling Pretti a domestic terrorist.
But even Democrats who voted to confirm Noem last year said they had second thoughts about her.
“I got 50 decisions I have to make today,” Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia told The Independent. “So I don't think back a year ago, but boy, if I was voting today, I'd vote against her.”
Sen Jeane Shaheen of New Hampshire, who also voted to confirm her, said she needed to go.
“I think Kristi Noem should resign or be removed,” she said. “She clearly does not know what she's doing. She's not up to the job. She's lied to the American public, and it's time for her to go.”
The shooting in Minneapolis comes ahead of a crucial funding deadline. Last week, the House passed a package of spending bills to fund major parts of the government, including the Department of Homeland Security.
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would oppose the spending package because of the funding for ICE, which is housed within the Department of Homeland Security.
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