Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee in March, giving lawmakers a rare chance to scrutinize her stewardship of the Department of Homeland Security after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
DHS’s Office of Legislative Affairs agreed to a March 3 date for the testimony, according to a spokesperson for Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), with each senator on the panel getting 10 minutes for questioning.
The testimony will bring intense scrutiny on Noem, who is facing growing calls for impeachment from Democrats critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s tactics. Republicans have also expressed growing frustration with Noem for declining to sit for a hearing last year.
The Washington Examiner previously reported that Grassley was haggling with the administration over a date for testimony and that the length of questioning had become a sticking point. The breakthrough comes two days after Pretti was pinned and then killed by a Border Patrol agent, fanning weeks of protests in Minneapolis.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Trump administration has signaled an interest in de-escalating the situation, with President Donald Trump revealing a “productive call” with Gov. Tim Walz (R-MN) on Monday. The president also assigned border czar Tom Homan to oversee immigration operations in the state.
The White House voiced confidence in Noem on Monday, denying that Trump is “dissatisfied” with her performance. So far, more than 100 House Democrats have called for her impeachment, while some congressional Republicans have criticized her “premature” response to Pretti’s death.
Noem accused Pretti of being a domestic terrorist and brandishing a weapon before he was shot, a claim disputed by bystander footage of the incident.
The Judiciary Committee hearing comes after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) placed a hold on the confirmation of all DHS nominees at the beginning of the month, citing the delay in her testimony.
Also on Monday, the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee announced that it would be requesting testimony from the heads of ICE and related immigration agencies.
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Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, criticized Noem for not appearing before the panel sooner, suggesting in a statement that she may not be homeland secretary by the time the hearing date arrives in March.
“With all of the violence and deaths involving DHS, the Secretary is apparently in no hurry to account for her mismanagement of this national crisis,” Durbin said. “And she expects us to rubber stamp her record-breaking budget in the meantime.”