General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsShootings in Minneapolis underscore how Kristi Noem has transformed DHS
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In the year since Noem left her post as South Dakotas governor to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the agency has dramatically transformed in ways that are increasingly visible to the American public. Immigration and Border Patrol agents are deploying to city streets, entering neighborhoods and homes to make arrests, and aggressively spraying protesters with tear gas often in ways that many civil rights lawyers believe is breaking the law.
Homeland Securitys sprawling deportation campaign is a marked departure from the agencys focus after its founding in the aftermath of Sept. 11. The department was created to protect the nation against foreign terrorists and work closely with federal and local agencies. Under Noems leadership, the agency has moved its focus to immigration enforcement pulling and cutting resources from other operations, like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to carry out the presidents mass deportation campaign.
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Although Democratic lawmakers are calling for Noems impeachment, her approach has won Trumps praise, and she has already been in office longer than four of the six DHS secretaries during the presidents first administration. But public support for her agenda is declining. A recent Quinnipiac University national poll found that 52 percent disapproved of Noems performance as DHS secretary, and 57 percent also disapproved of ICEs enforcement actions more broadly.
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Some former DHS officials and academics said that the agencys messaging is a sharp contrast with the bipartisan tone agency officials heralded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. When DHS was founded, 22 federal departments and agencies were combined, with the idea that enhanced coordination could help thwart another attack. Now some worry that increased partisanship could lead to less coordination, particularly with local law enforcement, some in blue cities the agency is now targeting.
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Last fall, DHS reassigned dozens of FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help vet and process new hires for the governments mass deportation initiative. More recently, DHS terminated dozens of FEMA employees while also approving the extension of some workers who are still detailed to ICE, according to an official familiar with the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
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Klarkashton
(4,977 posts)Initech
(107,792 posts)We knew how dangerous she was when it was revealed that she murdered her dog and threw it in a ditch, and the reason why - and I'm quoting directly - "she hated that dog".
People also forget that she purposefully ran ICE recruitment ads in places where people who had violent tendencies already congregated. It's a very classic case of cause and effect. Attract violence, get violence in return.
hedda_foil
(16,927 posts)Don't forget the goat. She was so maddened that killing the dog didn't quite do it for her, so she shot the goat, who managed to get away once. It ran to a gravel pit on her property where she shot it well and truly dead.
pat_k
(12,717 posts)https://www.afge.org/publication/afge-demands-resignation-or-termination-of-dhs-secretary-kristi-noem-and-deputy-white-house-chief-of-staff-stephen-miller-for-smearing-slain-afge-member-alex-pretti-as-domestic-terrorist/
January 26, 2026
AFGE Communications: press@afge.org
WASHINGTON Following the killing of AFGE Member Alex Pretti and the subsequent slanderous rhetoric that followed from top Trump administration officials, AFGE National President Everett Kelley issued the following statement:
Yesterday, AFGE brought together labor and faith leaders from Minneapolis and across the nation to mourn our fallen brother from Local 3669, Alex Pretti. We honored his life and legacy and lifted up his family, his friends, his union, Minneapolis, and our nation in prayer.
Today, we demand accountability.
In the immediate aftermath of Alexs killing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem betrayed the public trust by slandering the good name of our union brother and calling him a domestic terrorist. Alex Pretti was a patriotic ICU nurse at a VA hospital who devoted his life to serving Americas veterans. That claim was reckless, defamatory, and unsupported by the facts. Noem was preceded in this false statement by Stephen Miller, Deputy White House Chief of Staff, who is also the architect of the chaotic and failed immigration policy in Minnesota.
Our demand is clear: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was responsible for carrying out the policy that led to Alexs needless killing, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of that policy, must resign immediately. If they refuse, President Trump must dismiss them.
Public reporting has established that Mr. Miller is the driving force behind the administrations harsh immigration agenda. He personally directed its implementation and used high-pressure tactics to force compliance across the federal government. These were not abstract policy choices. They were imposed from the top and enforced without regard for the consequences.
Secretary Noem willingly carried out this agenda. Secretary Noem made deliberate choices that reshaped the Department of Homeland Security and enabled this tragedy. Over the past year, she removed senior leaders, consolidated authority, and enforced aggressive immigration tactics that prioritized political objectives over professional judgment and public/officer safety. Those choices created the conditions that led directly to this tragedy.
This conduct is consistent with Secretary Noems broader record at DHS. Under her leadership, TSA workers have faced sustained attacks on collective bargaining rights and union representation. At FEMA her actions have weakened frontline workers, undermined labor protections, and eroded accountability within the agency that is so critical to disaster preparedness and response. Over the past year, she removed senior leaders within the Department of Homeland Security and reshaped the agencys command structure to ensure adherence to Mr. Millers aggressive immigration strategies. Those decisions escalated tensions, undermined professional judgment, and put lives at risk.
Taken together, the actions of Miller and Noem, both before and after Alexs killing, make clear they are unfit to serve in their current positions, or any position requiring the public trust.
AFGE calls for a full and transparent investigation into Alexs killing led by an independent third party. We also call for bipartisan congressional oversight to uncover the truth, ensure accountability, and begin repairing the damage to public trust.