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By ROSS IBBETSON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR and PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER and JON MICHAEL RAASCH, US POLITICAL REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
Donald Trump has issued a defiant statement standing by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid outrage over her deadly immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
‘I think she’s doing a very good job,’ the President told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday.
‘The border is totally secure … we had a border that we inherited where millions of people were coming through, now we have a border where no one is coming through.’
Trump on Monday had rebuked Noem’s leadership as he parachuted her longtime rival Tom Homan into Minnesota to lead the deteriorating migrant crackdown after the shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old VA nurse.
The President was frustrated with Noem after she branded Pretti a ‘domestic terrorist’ at a news conference after the shooting, reports said.
The Homeland chief was grilled by Trump about her remarks at a meeting attended by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in the Oval Office late on Sunday.
Now Noem has been dispatched to secure the Southern Border, away from the administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the interior.
But it appears that her job is safe despite calls for her to resign from senior Democrats, including Senator John Fetterman, a staunch supporter of Trump’s immigration policy.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One on South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds a press conference in Washington, DC, on Saturday
Alex Pretti was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon, triggering shock and outrage across the United States
Asked whether he would label Pretti an ‘assassin’ – the words of White House Deputy Chief of Staff – Trump disagreed but added: ‘You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns. You just can’t. You can’t walk in with guns.’
Pretti was armed with a licensed handgun which appeared to have been wrestled from him before he was shot dead.
House Democrats on Capitol Hill have launched an investigation into Noem, while 140 members of the party have co-sponsored an impeachment resolution.
Republican lawmakers, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Kentucky Rep. James Comer, have also expressed concern that Noem’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota may have gone off the rails.
The Democratic impeachment bill alleges that Noem has been self-dealing, obstructed Congress and violated public trust.
Republican Rand Paul has also called multiple top immigration officials to testify at a February 12 hearing.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons have been asked to attend.
Noem will testify before the Senate on March 3 as part of regular oversight, Politico reported.
The Homeland Security Secretary has seen a dramatic loss of confidence following the fatal shootings of Pretti and anti-ICE protester Renee Good on January 7.
The latest Daily Mail/JL Partners poll, finds that Noem has a paltry 33 percent approval rating, compared to 37 percent last month before the shootings.
Federal agents use tear gas on protesters after a demonstration outside a Minneapolis hotel believed to house ICE officers on Sunday
Her disapproval rating has risen to 41 percent compared to 37 percent in December, per the last Daily Mail/ JL Partners survey.
Nearly half of survey respondents, 46 percent, believe that Noem should be impeached. Another 42 percent say President Donald Trump should fire her.
The poll was conducted on January 26 and included over 1,000 registered voters. The margin of error is 3.1 percent.
