Kristi Noem Should Lose Her Job Due to Minneapolis

Senator Calls for Removal of Homeland Security Secretary

Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina has demanded the dismissal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following her statements regarding the shooting of Alex Preti in Minneapolis over the weekend.

Addressing the media at the Capitol on Tuesday, Tillis criticized Noem’s response as “amateurish” and asserted that she “should be removed from office.”

“What she did in Minnesota should disqualify her. She should be fired from her job,” he stated. “It’s completely amateurish. It’s terrible. It gives a bad impression of the policies that the president won on. It gives a bad impression of the president,” he added, referring to Trump’s immigration platform. “No one is discussing it now… They talk about the incompetence of the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security.”

Preti’s death occurred during an incident involving Border Patrol agents. A report from DHS indicated the situation escalated when agents attempted to stop two individuals during an enforcement action. When those individuals did not comply, an officer pushed them, prompting one of the women to rush toward Preti, who was later identified as a “U.S. citizen.”

According to the DHS, officers tried to move the woman and Preti off the road. When they were unsuccessful, the officers used oleoresin pepper spray. The report detailed that CBP officers aimed to detain Preti, but he resisted, leading to a struggle.

During this confrontation, a Border Patrol agent shouted, “He’s got a gun!” and fired multiple shots from a Glock 19 and then a Glock 47. There is no evidence from the DHS report or witnesses that Preti attempted to reach for a firearm during the scuffle. Additionally, details about whether Preti’s gun was in the officers’ possession when the shots were fired remain unclear.

Following the incident, Noem echoed a narrative promoted by White House aide Stephen Miller, describing Preti as a “domestic terrorist” intent on causing “maximum harm” to federal employees.

At a press conference, Noem stated, “This appears to be a situation where individuals arrived on the scene to inflict maximum harm on individuals and kill law enforcement.” Tillis contended that Miller and Noem fabricated their allegations before the official incident report was available.

“Those two men told the president that the deceased was a terrorist before there was even an incident report. That’s amateur hour at its worst,” Tillis remarked.

Tillis has conveyed his concerns about Noem to the White House and noted that President Trump distanced himself from Miller’s comments during a press briefing on Monday.

“I believe she’s overstepped her bounds. She’s demonstrated that. She doesn’t know how to lead or de-escalate. She’s putting ICE officers and American citizens in dangerous situations,” he said. Nonetheless, he refrained from calling for her impeachment, suggesting any dismissal should be a “management decision.”