Mistakes were made,’ Grassley tells Noem about immigration crackdown
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem looks on before the start of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 3, 2026.
Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday for DHS law enforcement officers shooting and killing two people during a crackdown on immigrants in Minneapolis.
“Mistakes were made,” Grassley said in his opening statement. “Let’s be clear: One death is one too many. But officers should never be threatened or harmed while enforcing our laws.”
Noem is appearing before a congressional panel for the first time since the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. Noem’s hearing on Tuesday is the first of two this week. He will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Funding for DHS expired last month, and Democrats have so far refused to support an appropriations bill due to frustration with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics. Thanks to last year’s massive tax and spending bill, DHS still has billions of dollars on hand to keep some programs running.
Democrats in Congress have harshly criticized Noem’s leadership at DHS. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., introduced articles of impeachment for Noem in January after federal officers killed Good and Pretti.
Friends and family members of people detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement were also present at the hearing. They held signs and shouted toward Noem as she took her seat in the Senate committee room on Tuesday.
Another protester, who identified himself as a former employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of DHS, interrupted Noem’s testimony and was forcibly removed from the room.
“Under your leadership, the Department of Homeland Security has lacked any moral compass or respect for the rule of law,” Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said at the hearing. he said. “Without hesitation or remorse, DHS agents wreaked havoc on our cities…and committed unspeakable cruelty against children, immigrant families, and American citizens.”
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