Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania broke with the Trump administration on Tuesday, calling on President Donald Trump to immediately fire Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following the fatal shooting of a second protester in Minneapolis over the weekend.
In a public statement, Fetterman appealed directly to the president, arguing that Noem’s leadership has failed at a critical moment and warning that continued support for her could damage Trump’s record on border security.
“President Trump: I make a direct appeal to immediately fire Secretary Noem,” Fetterman said. “Americans have died. She is betraying DHS’s core mission and trashing your border security legacy.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat also cautioned Trump against repeating what he described as a key error made by former President Joe Biden, who refused to dismiss his own embattled Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, despite sustained Republican criticism.
“DO NOT make the mistake President Biden made for not firing a grossly incompetent DHS Secretary,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman’s comments followed his call on Monday for federal authorities to halt Operation Metro Surge, the immigration enforcement effort underway in Minneapolis. However, he said he would not vote to block funding for DHS, a move that could trigger a partial government shutdown at the end of the week.
“Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti should still be alive. My family grieves for theirs,” Fetterman said, referring to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two protesters shot and killed by federal officers in separate incidents.
“The operation in Minneapolis should stand down and immediately end,” he added. “It has become an ungovernable and dangerous urban theatre for civilians and law enforcement that is incompatible with the American spirit.”
Fetterman’s remarks came as pressure mounts from other Democrats demanding Noem’s resignation or impeachment. The backlash intensified after Noem publicly labeled Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday, a “domestic terrorist,” despite no evidence being presented to support that claim.
Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona is among those calling for Noem to be impeached, accusing her of spreading false information to justify lethal force.
“She lied about a citizen to justify his murder,” Gallego said in an interview with MS NOW. “And that is not leadership. The president should ask for her resignation. But if not, I do think the House should impeach.”
The White House has since moved to distance itself from Noem’s rhetoric. When asked Monday whether Trump agreed with Noem’s characterization of Pretti, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “I have not heard the president characterize Mr. Pretti in that way.”
Noem is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, a hearing that is expected to focus heavily on the Minneapolis shootings and DHS’s handling of immigration enforcement operations.
Other Democratic lawmakers have also sharpened their criticism. Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, described Noem as “a real problem” and accused her of prioritizing self-promotion over leadership.
“Noem’s got to go,” Welch said during an MS NOW interview. He pointed to what he called a $200 million promotional video shoot at Mount Rushmore and criticized her response to the deaths of two Minnesota citizens.
“When there is a serious, serious situation involving the death of two citizens, she calls them domestic terrorists,” Welch said.
As scrutiny intensifies, the Minneapolis enforcement operation has become a political flashpoint, placing Noem’s future — and the administration’s broader immigration strategy — under mounting pressure.
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