Finding those responsible for the riots in the USA. All fingers point to one person
The main allegations are known — Noem appeared on camera too quickly and sabotaged an independent investigation into Saturday's fatal shooting in which 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents. This time, however, the allegations are more public, and the White House is taking steps to revise its strategy in Minneapolis.
Flowers, candles and photos left at the makeshift memorial for Alex Pretti, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, January 25, 2026.PAP/EPA/CRAIG LASSIG / PAP
In one of the most high-profile public rebukes of the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Senator John Curtis (R-Utah) wrote on social media that Noem's actions in the shooting of Pretti “undermine public trust and the mission of law enforcement.”
“I disagree with Secretary Noem's premature response before all the facts were known and undermined confidence [do władz]” wrote Curtis.
Noem is also scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee after the intervention of the committee's chairman, Senator Chuck Grassley (Republican from Iowa).
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson — an influential voice among evangelical voters who make up the core of the MAGA electorate — has been attacking Noem in social media posts since Saturday's shooting, accusing her of “inflaming tensions” in the name of “media publicity.”
Frustration with Noem is also palpable among supporters of restrictive immigration policies. Mark Krikorian, who heads the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for restrictions on legal immigration and the fight against illegal migration, when asked about Noem's position in the administration, said she “has become a lightning rod” for criticism.
Publicly, the White House supports Noem. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Monday that she had the “utmost confidence of the president of the United States.”
However, the White House's decision on Monday to send Border Patrol Chief Tom Homan to oversee ICE operations in Minneapolis suggests that Trump wants changes to the DHS chief's current approach.
A White House official told POLITICO on Monday that “sending Homan is not an expression of confidence” in Noem.
The homeland security secretary has previously clashed with Homan over her approach to law enforcement. Homan, who spent most of his career as an immigration official, has pushed to protect ICE as an institution and focus efforts on deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal histories. Noem, on the other hand, focused on using social media to create an image of extremely aggressive immigration enforcement.
Noem also promoted Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino to the position of operations manager in Minneapolis. A White House spokeswoman told reporters Monday that Homan, not Bovino, would be the “primary contact” in Minneapolis. In addition, Bovino will be transferred from Minneapolis, an administration official told POLITICO.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment on this matter. Noem herself hasn't said much since Trump distanced himself from the Sunday night shooting, but in a social media post Monday, she praised Trump's decision to send Homan to Minneapolis.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, emphasized that Noem had made every effort to inform the public about the shooting and rejected suggestions that there was discord within the president's team.
— There is only one side: the president's side. Everyone agrees, the official said.
Some members of the administration were already frustrated with Noem's response to the Jan. 7 shooting that killed 37-year-old Nicole Good, also in Minneapolis. The head of DHS apparently rushed to respond to the incident before all the facts were known (she insisted that Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman shot by an ICE officer, had committed an act of “domestic terrorism” and tried to “ram them with her vehicle”).
In recent months, voters have been dissatisfied with the Trump administration's tougher immigration policies. Republican polling firm Echelon Insights found in a survey of registered voters released Monday now more people say that ICE actions in public places make them feel unsafe rather than safewhich is a decrease compared to the results from a few months ago, when opinions were more balanced.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Democrats have stepped up calls for Noem to be fired or impeached over the way ICE and the Border Patrol conducted immigration operations and the alleged mismanagement of significant federal funds given to the department under the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Other Republican lawmakers, without mentioning Noem by name, called on the agency's leadership under her to testify. Some of them, such as House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (Republican from New York), represent states or districts where Trump only narrowly defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Despite mounting pressure on Noem, Krikorian argued that she was unlikely to be removed from office.
“It would be a victory for radical border opponents” and “encourage” action to oppose ICE operations elsewhere, he said.
