Kristi Noem blasts Tim Walz over rhetoric endangering public, inciting violence against ICE officers

WASHINGTON, DC: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sharply criticized Minnesota Gov Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in a press conference on Saturday, January 24 following a deadly confrontation involving federal law enforcement in Minneapolis.

Noem accused both leaders of rhetoric and actions that she said encouraged violence against federal officers and put the public at risk. Her remarks came as tensions escalated after 37 year old, Alex Pretti was fatally shot during an operation involving federal agents.

Kristi Noem criticizes Tim Walz over federal operation

At a press conference, Noem rebuked Walz and Frey, saying they should “take a long, hard look in the mirror” over comments and conduct that she claimed encouraged violence against law enforcement following a federal operation in Minneapolis.

Noem focused much of her criticism on Walz, alleging that the governor had undermined federal officers. She said Walz called federal officers “not even law enforcement,” which she called “a lie,” and accused him of equating federal agents with the “Gestapo.”

She also claimed Walz had “doxed their identities,” putting their lives and the safety of their families at risk. Noem did not limit her criticism to rhetoric; she also accused Walz of obstructing immigration enforcement. 

She stated that Walz had refused to turn over murderers to federal law enforcement officers and had protected “illegal criminals” from being brought to justice. Additionally, Noem accused him of overseeing what she described as “a historic, unprecedented theft of American taxpayer dollars.”

During her remarks, Noem described the operation that preceded the confrontation. She said that, at about 9.05 am, DHS officials and officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien with a criminal history that included domestic assault, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license.

Kristi Noem’s call for cooperation from Minneapolis city officials

She also stated that the situation escalated “when an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi‑automatic handgun” and that officers attempted to disarm him before one agent fired defensive shots. Noem said the man died at the scene despite medical efforts.

Noem also alleged that unrest followed the shooting, with “hundreds of protesters then showed up at the scene,” whom she said began to obstruct and assault law enforcement officers.

Noem further called for cooperation from Walz and Frey, reiterating that federal officials had repeatedly asked both leaders to turn over individuals in their custody who pose public safety risks so that they could be removed from the country.

She claimed that the governor and mayor had refused, saying they prefer to keep the focus on “attacking law enforcement officers instead of the fraud and the theft that they facilitated in Minnesota.”

Noem also accused both Walz and Frey of encouraging resistance from residents and citizens, asserting that their rhetoric had not only undermined federal law enforcement efforts but also emboldened violent rioters.

She said the officials needed to evaluate “their rhetoric, their conversations, and their encouragement of such violence against our citizens and our law enforcement officers.”

In response to the unrest, Walz activated the Minnesota National Guard at the request of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, citing concerns about the potential for further conflict related to the federal agent‑involved shooting.