Kristi Noem defies calls to resign as she hails major border enforcement victory under Trump

NOGALES, ARIZONA: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem showed no signs of backing down this week as pressure mounted over anti-ICE riots, a government shutdown scare, and calls for her resignation.

Speaking during a multi-state trip in February, Noem instead leaned into what she and the White House describe as a major border enforcement victory.

Kristi Noem remains calm as pressure builds

Noem spent four days traveling across the country, stopping in Mississippi to assess winter storm recovery efforts, touring the southern border in Texas and Arizona, and visiting the northern border in North Dakota. She also hosted a barbecue dinner for Border Patrol agents in Arizona, serving the food herself.

Her travel continued uninterrupted even as Congress grappled with a partial government shutdown tied largely to how DHS would be funded. Lawmakers ultimately reached a deal to fund the department through February 13.

During an interview along the border wall in Nogales, Noem said DHS responsibilities go far beyond immigration enforcement.

“Every day [DHS is] finding te**orists and removing them from our country, protecting our cybersecurity systems, our critical infrastructure,” Noem told Fox News Digital. She noted that only 11% of the DHS budget goes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“It is also FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard, weapons of mass destruction, science and technology,” she added. “We have a lot of responsibilities that we absolutely need to fund.”

ICE operations spark riots and outrage

Despite Noem’s broader focus, the political firestorm centered on ICE operations in Minneapolis, a sanctuary city where local authorities provide limited cooperation with federal immigration officers.

DHS estimates that Operation Metro Surge has led to the arrest of roughly 4,000 criminal illegal migrants in the city since the start of the year. The effort followed a fraud scheme involving members of the Somali community.

The situation escalated into violent clashes between agitators and federal officers, leaving two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, dead. Both were killed by federal immigration agents during confrontations.

Noem labeled the pair “domestic te**orists,” saying their deaths resulted from interference with law enforcement operations. The comments sparked bipartisan outrage and fueled calls for her resignation.

Asked what Americans want from ICE enforcement, Noem said, “I think people would want less conflict.”

“They want to know that we’re enforcing our laws and that dangerous criminals aren’t being released back onto the streets,” she said.

Trump stands firmly behind his DHS chief

Rumors swirled that President Donald Trump might fire Noem, but he publicly shut them down.

“Why would I do that?” Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast. “We have the strongest border in the history of our country. We have the lowest crime numbers going back to 1900.”

Trump also defended Noem earlier, saying he had no plans to remove her.

DHS figures back the administration’s claims. According to the department, more illegal migrants crossed the southern border in a single average month under President Joe Biden than during Noem’s entire tenure.

“We have over 3 million people that have deported,” Noem said, including about 700,000 detained and removed. She added that more than 2.3 million people self-deported.

“We’re enforcing our laws,” she said, noting incentives that include a $2,600 payment and a flight home.

Protests, polls, and political doubts remain

Noem’s trip wasn’t free of protest. Demonstrators gathered outside a hotel in Tucson during a dinner she hosted for CBP officers, using drums and megaphones as traffic passed by.

A Quinnipiac University poll conducted between January 29 and February 2 found that 58% of respondents believe Noem should not keep her job.

A GOP insider also questioned her readiness, saying her time as South Dakota governor didn’t prepare her for the demands of DHS.

Still, Noem credited Trump-appointed border czar Tom Homan for helping restore order in Minneapolis, brushing aside reports of tension between them.

“What people need to remember is that Democrat policies were destroying our country,” Noem said. “President Trump came in and said it’s not going to happen anymore.”