Behind the scenes: Trump and White House rally behind Noem as ‘radicals’ demand ouster

President Donald Trump fully supports Department of Homeland (DHS) Security Secretary Kristi Noem as Democrats call for her ouster over the handling of the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, Fox News Digital learned. 

“I think she’s doing a very good job,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in just one example this week of the president backing his DHS chief. “The border is totally secure. You forget, we had a border that I inherited where millions of people were coming through. Now, we have a border where no one is coming through.”

The president and administration have stayed consistent throughout the week that Noem has their full support, as Democratic lawmakers call for her ouster following a pair of fatal shootings in Minneapolis amid an immigration crackdown operation born out of the sweeping fraud scandal rocking the state. 

A source close to Noem told Fox News Digital that Trump spoke to Noem ahead of the Cabinet meeting Thursday to relay that she’s doing well leading DHS — which is home to agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

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The source added that Noem is in communication with border czar Tom Homan, who was tapped to lead the administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota Monday, and added that when the likes of Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine or House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are “calling for your head,” you’re not at risk at losing your job with Trump. 

Democrats repeatedly have slammed Noem in recent days, demanding she be fired or impeached, including Jeffries threatening that she needs to be “put on ice permanently.”

“She’s got to go — we are dead serious,” Jeffries told reporters at the Capitol Thursday, threatening that, “She needs to be put on ice permanently.” 

“If Kristi Noem is not fired immediately, impeachment proceedings will commence,” he added. 

Noem joined Fox News’ “Hannity” Thursday evening and defended that she’s on a mission to enforce the president’s law and order immigration policies. 

“These radicals are attacking me, but I’m just doing my job,” Noem said. “I’m following the law, enforcing the laws like President Trump promised that he would do to keep people safe in this country.” 

“We’re going to continue to go after these criminals,” she continued. “We’re going to remove them before they have the chance to murder more Americans, to create more Angel moms and to go out and harm our children and our grandchildren. We have had violent crimes and murders drop dramatically in this country, the lowest they’ve been in over 100 years because of President Trump’s leadership. I’m proud of the work that the Department of Homeland Security does.”  

Trump held his monthly Cabinet meeting Thursday, which generated heightened attention as media outlets focused on the fact Noem did not speak during the meeting. The president explained at the top of the gathering that he wanted to keep the meeting more concise after hosting marathon Cabinet meetings, including the longest televised such meeting in U.S. history in August, which lasted 3 hours and 16 minutes. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Noem were among officials who did not address the meeting, but headlines have mostly focused on Noem specifically. 

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An administration official confirmed to Fox Digital on Friday morning that Trump continues to fully support his DHS chief’s ability and leadership, and that the president personally told her as much ahead of the Cabinet meeting. 

The White House swiftly defended Noem Monday in the fallout of a fatal shooting Saturday when U.S. Border Patrol agents opened fire on Alex Pretti, who was armed with a 9 mm pistol, while recording federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. 

Two U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Border Patrol agents were placed on administrative leave, as is standard operating procedure, and an investigation into the shooting continues. 

The operation has been underscored by agitators staging protests and chaotic confrontations targeting federal law enforcement officials while demanding the agents leave Minneapolis. 

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When asked for comment on the president’s support of Noem, the White House directed Fox Digital to a series of comments made by Trump, as well as Leavitt, showing Trump and his administration have been consistent in their support of Noem. 

“Secretary Noem still has the utmost confidence and trust of the president of the United States, and she’s continuing to oversee the entire Department of Homeland Security and all of the immigration enforcement that’s taking place across the whole entire country,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing Monday when asked if the president was dissatisfied with how the officials on the ground handled the shooting. 

“No,” Trump told reporters Tuesday when asked if Noem would step down, which included the president also telling the media that Noem is “doing a very good job.” 

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“She was there with the border,”  Trump told Fox News’ Will Cain Tuesday when asked about his confidence in Noem. “Who closed up the border? She did, with Tom Homan, with the whole group. I mean they closed up the border.”

Democrats have come out in full force against the administration’s immigration crackdown, claiming ICE and Border Patrol agents are terrorizing communities with their presence and referring to Pretti’s fatal shooting, and the fatal shooting of Renee Good earlier in January by an ICE agent, as “murder.”

Speculation built among Democrats and media outlets that Noem allegedly was on shaky footing with the president over the operation, which was amplified Monday when Trump announced he was deploying Homan to Minnesota to oversee the immigration crackdown operation, replacing Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino who had been running point in Minneapolis. 

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Federal law enforcement officials converged on the Twin Cities at the start of the new year amid a sweeping fraud scandal gripping the state that has led to dozens of arrests of individuals, most of whom are from the state’s Somali population. Immigration officials deployed to crack down on violent illegal immigrants in the area as details of the fraud scandal came to light. 

Fox Digital reached out to Department of Homeland Security Friday for any additional comment on the president’s support and Democrats calling for her ouster.