Kristi Noem, Ranking Democrat Clash on ICE-Related Deaths at DHS Hearing

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) clashed at the beginning of Tuesday’s hearing centered on the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, namely due to framing dead Americans as "domestic terrorists."

The hearing has far-reaching implications as DHS has operated with funding since Feb. 14 as Democrats have not crossed the aisle due to concerns about ICE stemming from the deaths of two Americans in Minnesota in January. It is Noem’s first appearance before the committee, lawmakers since the Trump administration tempered its broad immigration crackdown in the state.

On Jan. 7, mother and Minneapolis resident Renee Good was shot to death by an ICE agent. About 2.5 weeks later, a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nurse, Alex Pretti, was also shot to death by ICE agents. Both incidents were recorded by onlookers, each sparking mass demonstrations not just in St. Paul and Minneapolis but across the country.

Following the death of both Good and Pretti, statements from Noem and Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and a homeland security advisor, escalated already brewing tensions due to labeling them as “domestic terrorists” almost immediately without any investigation.

Border czar Tom Homan ultimately stepped in to simmer the political temperature, promising a more transparent agency coupled with a drawback of agents in Minnesota. Noem said Tuesday that roughly 650 agents remain in Minnesota.

'Hard to Say You Were Wrong?'

Durbin and Noem went back and forth on government officials’ remarks following the death of Good and Pretti.

"Your statements cause immeasurable pain to these families," Durbin said. "Let me give you an opportunity to do the right thing. Do you retract these statements identifying these individuals as domestic terrorists?"

Noem, dodging the direct question, referred to both cases as “tragic situations" and said she couldn’t imagine how their families endure, adding that she and DHS work to provide Americans "with as much info as possible” and is always “working to be transparent to provide accurate information and facts as we can.”

Durbin responded by saying that ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials who previously testified under oath said they did not inform DHS that Pretti was a domestic terrorist. Noem mentioned "reports on the ground from agents on the scene.”

The senior senator from Illinois, unsatisfied with the response, asked again.

“These violent terrorists have put them in a situation where they've been—it’s unprecedented what these agents have faced,” Noem said. “That situation on the ground that day was chaotic.”

Durbin asked a third time for an answer on the record, saying, "Is it so hard to say you were wrong?"

"I absolutely strive to provide factual information and will continue to do that," Noem replied. "We always know that there's room for improvement."

Noem, Miller Accounts

Noem also faced tough questions from Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), who asked her about the "domestic terrorism" remarks and how Axios reported on-record remark from Noem published Jan. 27, saying, "Everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen [Miller]."

"I enjoy working with the president and with Stephen Miller," Noem said at the hearing. "That day, we were working to get as much information to the American people as possible."

Kennedy asked Noem whether it was fair to "blame Mr. Miller for your words?"

The secretary said the information was relayed to the press by anonymous sources.

"It was you," Kennedy said in response as his time expired. "They're quoting you on the record saying it's Stephen's fault."

Pretti Not a 'Domestic Terrorist'

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), whose constituents included Good and Pretti, questioned Noem and her department's handling surrounding Good and Pretti in addition to threats to Americans.

Klobuchar mentioned that Pretti's parents told her in the aftermath of their son's death that his being labeled a "domestic terrorist" by Noem and others in the administration was "one of the most hurtful things they could ever imagine."

"We were relying in the hours of that incident that so horrific," Noem said, before Klobuchar interrupted and asked again if she had any updated remarks to Pretti's family. Noem changed the framing of the accusation.

"Ma'am, I did not call him a domestic terrorist," Noem said. "I said it appeared to be an incident of."

"I think the parents saw it for what it was," Klobuchar said.

DHS Calls Out 'Reckless' Democrats

Noem criticized Democrats in her opening remarks, chastising them for the "reckless" and "unnecessary" decision not to fund DHS. She accused Democrats in the chamber of holding the department "hostage" and "straining" critical functions.

"It harms the men and women who work at DHS and their families," Noem said, adding, "Our ability to provide for a safe and successful World Cup is being hindered as well," she said.

The secretary said DHS has documented an 8,000% increase in death threats against ICE officers and their families, plus an increase of more than 1,300% in assaults. 

"I recognize that members of this committee may hold differing views about immigration policy," Noem said. "But it's important that we distinguish between disagreements over policy and the department's operational responsibility to enforce existing law that has been passed by Congress. It's our duty as a department to defend our homeland."