Kristi Noem does not care about transparency. The Department of Homeland Security secretary has proven herself to be an enthusiastic liar, infamously misrepresenting the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two citizens killed by federal officers working for Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Donald Trump’s recent invasion of Minnesota.
Noem has been at it again with a feeble effort to head off what now appears to be a near-certain shutdown of DHS. Senate Democrats have demanded a series of reforms for federal immigration agents, including mandatory name badges, stricter warrant requirements and a ban on masks. (On Thursday they blocked a spending bill that did not include the measures; funding for the department will expire on Friday night.) On Feb. 2, under fire for her chaotic and deadly management of DHS, Noem announced that ICE agents would start wearing body cameras, a change she characterized as being in line with the “most transparent administration in American history.”
