Noem defies calls for him to resign, touting border victories as shutdowns and riots spread

Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem has been a lightning rod for criticism amid the anti-ICE riots that have rocked the country, sparked a government shutdown and left many wondering if the 8th DHS secretary of state will keep her job.

Despite the mounting pressure, Noem appeared calm, collected, and confident on this week’s trip that included a stop in Mississippi to assess winter storm recovery efforts, a tour of the southern border in Texas and Arizona and the northern border in North Dakota, and a BBQ dinner hosted and hosted by Noem himself for Border Patrol agents in Arizona.

During the first half of the four days, Congress was still dealing with a partial government shutdown over how to fund DHS. The House finally reached an agreement, funding the agency until Feb. 13, but Noem’s focus did not change before and after the passage of the bill, and his schedule was left unchanged.

In an exclusive interview near the wall in Nogales, Ariz., Noem told Fox News Digital that the agency’s national security operations are too important to be set aside to fight spending.

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“Every day [DHS is] finding terrorists and removing them from our country, protecting our cybersecurity programs, our critical infrastructure,” Noem told Fox. “Only 11% of the DHS budget is ICE. One of them is FEMA, TSA, which runs our security checkpoints at our airports.”

“And the Coast Guard, which is very important to our maritime security and works closely with the Department of Defense,” Noem said. “We have weapons of mass destruction, science and technology, our national labs.”

“We have many responsibilities that we need to fully fund in order to do it properly. So I hope that Congress will see that and pass this bill quickly,” said Noem.

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But the debate about government spending was not about the Coast Guard, FEMA or TSA. It was almost entirely supported by one of the 23 agencies overseen by Noem – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. In particular, it focuses on ICE operations in Minneapolis, a so-called sanctuary city where local authorities provide little support to federal immigration enforcement officials.

Federal law enforcement agents arrested a protester during a raid south of Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. Minnesota officials are suing an unprecedented expansion of US immigration enforcement in the state, taking the Trump administration to court days after a federal agent shot and killed a Minneapolis woman. (Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Since the beginning of the year, DHS estimates that Operation Metro Surge has resulted in the apprehension of 4,000 illegal immigrants in Minneapolis. This project was launched primarily as a result of a fraud scheme involving members of the Somali community in Minnesota.

This campaign then turned into a fierce conflict between the terrorists and the government officials that ended up killing two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both killed by federal agents.

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Noem quickly called Good and Pretti “pet terrorists” and said their deaths were due to obstruction of “law enforcement,” prompting outrage from Democrats and some Republicans who began calling for him to resign.

Rumors swirled about whether Noem would actually resign or whether President Donald Trump would fire him, but the president told reporters shortly after Pretti’s death that he had no intention of removing him from his position as head of DHS.

When Fox News Digital asked Noem what he believes the American people want when it comes to ICE using the same tactics that have led to riots, deaths and attacks on both protesters and agents, Noem said “I think the people will want less confrontation.”

President Donald Trump has repeatedly supported DHS chief Noem in public comments in January. (Jim Watson/Getty Images)

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“[The American people] “We want to know that we are strengthening our laws and that we are going after dangerous criminals, and they don’t want them to be released on the streets to commit more crimes,” explained Noem.

At certain stops on Noem’s journey, riots broke out. At a dinner hosted inside a hotel in Tucson, Arizona, for CBP officers, protesters with drums, megaphones and what appeared to be pre-made signs gathered at the hotel entrance. All the other cars traveling in the protest honked, although it is not clear whether they were honking in support of the protesters or not.

A Quinnipiac University survey taken from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 showed 58% of those polled said Noem should not have a job.

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Fox News Digital spoke with a GOP insider who pointed to Noem’s lack of experience on the national stage, saying his time as governor of South Dakota did not prepare him for one of the most challenging roles in the president’s cabinet.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem meets with CBP officials in Eagle Pass, Texas, Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Noem reviews the progress made since she became head of the agency last year. (Fox News Digital’s Kat Ramirez)

Despite critics, Noem’s record on border security has been seen as a success, according to statistics provided by the department and the Trump administration. Trump’s goal of preventing illegal immigrants from crossing the border, which was Noem’s job, has become a priority for the White House.

More illegal immigrants crossed the southern border in an average month under former President Biden’s watch than under Noem’s, according to DHS.

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“We have over three million people who have been deported, and that includes about 700,000 people that we have arrested and removed,” Noem told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “Furthermore, they have released more than 2.3 million.”

“You know, you’re sending a message to the whole world that America is now going to enforce its laws and make sure that if you’re in this country illegally, you have to go home, and we’ve been promoting that with the $2,600 fee and the flight,” Noem added. “Millions of people have stood up to that.”

Trump defended Noem a second time during his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday when he discussed whether he would end his command at DHS.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (not pictured) displays dozens of photos showing illegal border crossings over the past year as she meets with CBP officials in Eagle Pass, Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Noem reviews the progress that has been made since she became head of the agency last year. (Fox News Digital’s Kat Ramirez)

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“Why would I do that? We have the strongest border in the history of our country,” Trump said. “We have the best crime numbers we’ve had since the year 1900. That’s 125 years. We have the lowest crime numbers.”

Trump also nominated Tom Homan, former ICE director during Trump’s first term and acting director of Enforcement and Deterrence under President Barack Obama, to serve as border chief, a role previously held by Kamala Harris.

Some reports have painted a picture of an unspoken rivalry between Homan and Noem following Trump’s decision to put Homan in charge of the Minneapolis situation.

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But Noem told Fox News Digital that he praised Homan for working to get local leaders in Minneapolis to come to the table and discuss what has been a mess in the Twin Cities.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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“What people should remember is that the policies of the Democrats are destroying our country,” said Noem. “And President Trump came in and said, I’m going to protect the American people. It’s not going to happen anymore.”

“Since [the Biden administration]”Thousands of people’s lives have been saved right here, right here at the border, because those migrants are no longer abused,” added Noem.

Preston Mizell is a reporter for Fox News. News tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and X @MizellPreston