Minnesota Democrats are saying the departure of Secretary Kristi Noem from the Department of Homeland Security is overdue, while Republicans have yet to comment.
President Donald Trump announced Noem’s departure in a Truth Social post on Thursday. He tapped Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace Noem — a move that would require Senate confirmation.
“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland,’” Trump wrote.
The ousting comes on the heels of the months-long DHS Operation Metro Surge, which resulted in the fatal shootings in January of Alexi Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents, triggering civil unrest and pushback locally and nationally over immigration enforcement.
House Leader Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, said it is just the start of accountability and “really does show the power of ordinary Minnesotans when they stand up to the kind of heartless and unconstitutional and unlawful activity we saw.”
“This president has demonstrated time and time again that there’s nothing he likes better than a scapegoat,” Stephenson said Thursday night. “He’s not up for owning his own failures and misjudgment. He just finds someone to blame and then trucks on, so it’s not that surprising. And beyond that, as I said, I don’t have a ton of hope that her replacement is going to be a significant improvement. Having said that, I believe in accountability, and she certainly deserved to be fired.”
While several House Republicans had already left for the weekend, three who were asked by Forum News Service to comment Thursday night at the Capitol declined. A request for comment from Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, was not answered by the time of publication.
Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation had not responded to a request for comment from Forum News Service by the time of publication.
Rep. Isaac Schultz, R-Elmdale Township, said he thinks Trump is “going to choose the people who can best execute the mission to make America great again.” He said he supports Trump’s immigration goals and that “this move likely helps achieve that mission.”
“Our job is to demand better of government, and I think that in this instance, we want to see immigration enforcement be more effective and done better and protecting people’s constitutional rights,” Schultz said. “And I believe that the best ability for the President to execute this mission, is if we do this work better, and I think that that’s what the President is committed to.”
Noem’s departure also comes after she underwent a series of hearings before Congress on the conduct of DHS under her leadership. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., at the Tuesday Senate hearing pressed Noem on the use of the term “domestic terrorists” to characterize the fatal shootings of Pretti and Good.
“Alex Pretti and Renee Good should be alive today,” Klobuchar said in a statement Thursday. “Secretary Noem’s overdue removal from the Department of Homeland Security is a step toward accountability, but it is only the beginning.”
Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn, echoed Stephenson’s concerns about Noem’s successor and urged Senate Democrats not to support Mullin’s nomination or fund ICE.
“Minnesotans know we are not out of the woods yet and we can’t afford another rubber stamp for Trump’s immigration agenda leading DHS,” Craig said. “And even though we’ve seen that loyalty is a one-way street for this president, that’s exactly what Markwayne Mullin will be.”
In reacting to Noem’s departure, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said in an X post, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in an X post, “Good riddance.”
Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement Thursday that “Kristi Noem has done a stunning amount of damage and it’s good she’s gone.
“But this doesn’t change the fact that we need a complete overhaul of DHS, impartial investigations into the killings of two American citizens, and information on children that were taken from Minnesota,” Walz said.
Trump said Noem will leave her role as homeland security chief on March 31.
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