Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) demanded that President Donald Trump fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her handling of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis.
Tagging Trump in what the senator said was a “direct appeal” on X, Fetterman pleaded with the president to fire Noem over her perceived incompetence.
“@realDonaldTrump I make a direct appeal to immediately fire @Sec_Noem,” Fetterman wrote. “Americans have died. She is betraying DHS’s core mission and trashing your border security legacy. DO NOT make the mistake President Biden made for not firing a grossly incompetent DHS Secretary.”
Noem has taken heavy flak over her handling of recent events in Minneapolis, especially her initial claim that Alex Pretti was trying to assassinate federal agents when he was killed, a claim the Trump administration quickly walked back.
Fetterman has emerged as a rare congressional Democrat willing to break with his party’s consensus around hot matters such as immigration, even defending Immigration and Customs Enforcement and praising Trump. He’s condemned the inflammatory rhetoric used by Democrats to describe ICE and the Trump administration.
“I would never ever compare anybody to Nazis or the Gestapo or for those kinds of things,” Fetterman said. “Nazis are … that’s just not appropriate, and that’s why I refuse to do that. Or refer to Republicans or parts of ICE, they’re not Nazis. For me, that’s something as a Democrat, I refuse to ever engage in.”
Minneapolis has emerged as a hot spot in Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, with headlines dominated by fights between federal immigration enforcement officials and organized protesters. The stakes were raised over the past few weeks after two protesters were fatally shot by federal officials, drawing heavy backlash.
FETTERMAN SAYS ‘ABOUT TWO-THIRDS‘ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ICE DEPORTED HAD CRIMINAL RECORDS
Culpability for the two deaths has been squarely placed on the Trump administration by Democrats, and on activist networks in Minneapolis by Republicans. The national attention directed toward Minneapolis has triggered involvement from leftist networks across the country, who stalk and harass federal immigration personnel in the city.
Trump held calls with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Monday, with all parties looking to reduce tensions. After the calls, local law enforcement began cracking down on protesters, and Trump pledged to withdraw some personnel from Minnesota.