Overview
- The New York Times published accounts from dozens of DHS employees who described Kristi Noem’s leadership as chaotic and shaped by political operatives before President Trump fired her in March.
- Staff said senior adviser Stephen Miller set goals of 3,000 arrests a day and one million deportations in 2025 that DHS leaders pushed down to field offices.
- A former ICE executive said Noem told a May 2025 meeting she would try to get staff fired if she lost her job.
- Agents in Minneapolis fatally shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti during the surge, and one ICE agent said Noem cleared a shooting within an hour, which staff said encouraged rougher tactics.
- Responding to the reporting, the White House said the operation targets violent offenders and praised agents who face threats in the field.