Political News

‘She Has Forfeited Her Right to Lead’: Governor Demands Kristi Noem Resign as DHS Secretary

Sharon Banks

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has become the highest-profile state executive yet to publicly demand the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, declaring that Noem has “forfeited her right to lead” following the January 24 fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis — the second U.S. citizen killed by immigration officers in the city this month.

Speaking at a Sunday press conference in Albany, Hochul delivered a blistering indictment of Noem’s leadership and the broader direction of federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.

“Kristi Noem has forfeited her right to lead. I’m calling on her to resign as Secretary of Homeland Security or Donald Trump to do the right thing and just fire her. And, if not, she must be removed or impeached. And [Customs and Border Protection commander] Gregory Bovino, who has helped lead and defend and escalate these operations, should also be fired. It’s a shame I have to say this in America but no one is above the law. No one.”

Hochul’s statement came hours after video evidence and bystander accounts of Pretti’s death began circulating widely. Pretti, 37, was shot multiple times in the street during an ICE operation.

DHS initially claimed he was armed and intent on harming officers. However, multiple videos appear to show Pretti holding only a cellphone in one hand, with no visible weapon at the moment shots were fired.

The shooting has intensified already fierce protests in Minneapolis that began after the January 7 killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, also a U.S. citizen, by an ICE agent. Both incidents have fueled accusations of excessive force, racial profiling, and lack of accountability in federal immigration enforcement.

DHS and ICE have maintained that Pretti posed an immediate deadly threat by brandishing a firearm.

Noem herself insisted Saturday: “I don’t know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign. This is a violent riot when you have someone showing up with weapons and are using them to assault law enforcement officers.”

The Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, and Minnesota is an open-carry state. It is not a crime to possess a firearm at a protest or public gathering.

However, video filmed by bystanders — now widely analyzed online appears to challenge the claim that Pretti was actively threatening officers at the moment lethal force was used. Multiple angles show Pretti holding a phone in one hand, with no visible weapon in either hand immediately before or during the initial shots.

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Now, There’s Growing Bipartisan and Cross-Ideological Criticism

While outrage from Democratic governors and progressive activists was expected, Noem has also begun to face criticism from conservative and libertarian voices — a development likely to be of far greater concern to the administration.

Conservative commentator Erick Erickson alleged on X Sunday that ICE’s recent aggressions stem from Noem “marginalizing” Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who prefers prioritizing the arrest of criminals over broad sweeps of undocumented immigrants.

Erickson claimed Noem and Bovino are actively seeking “public confrontations and displays,” linking to articles from Fox News, The New York Post, and The Washington Examiner that have raised similar concerns.

Libertarian journalist Robby Soave, writing on X, argued: “While the video evidence in the Pretti and Good cases may leave room for doubt, it’s abundantly, absolutely clear that the Trump administration is lying about what happened. Notice I said ‘lying’ and not ‘wrong.’ There’s no way around this. Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller have claimed [Pretti] was a domestic terrorist who had every intention of harming cops. They have not presented a shred of evidence for this, except that he possessed a gun. Having a gun is a cherished Second Amendment right!”

Soave continued: “The admin seems to think that they have to defend every single action taken by law enforcement, no matter how wrong or suspect, no matter how many constitutional rights require sacrificing. Deeply wrong, and frankly shameful.”

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Minnesota Leaders Renew Demands for Removal

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have again condemned ICE’s actions and renewed calls for the removal of federal agents from the city. Both officials have described the current operations as “out of control” and accused DHS of creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

The growing bipartisan and cross-ideological criticism of Noem — from Democratic governors, progressive activists, conservative commentators, and libertarian journalists shows the political peril facing the secretary and the administration’s immigration agenda. With midterms less than ten months away and public opinion shifting rapidly, the fallout from Minneapolis and Noem’s leadership could become a defining liability for Republicans.

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The White House and DHS have not yet responded to Hochul’s demand for Noem’s resignation or to the broader wave of criticism. For now, the secretary remains in position but the chorus calling for her removal is growing louder, more diverse, and harder to dismiss as mere partisan rhetoric.

The question is no longer whether Noem can weather the storm — it is whether the administration can afford to keep her in place as the political cost continues to rise.

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