Noem says DHS can ‘always do better’ when pressed on agency’s ‘mistakes’ before Homan’s deployment

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acknowledged her department could “always do better” when pressed Sunday on alleged mistakes ahead of border czar Tom Homan’s deployment to Minneapolis.

“I would say that we can always do better, and we learn from every situation that we’re in,” she told “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

“We see a very organized, well-funded campaign of violent protests against our law enforcement officers, so we’re going to continue to get as much information as soon as possible to give a strategy to protect people, protect our federal buildings, like the president laid out yesterday, and we’re going to make sure that the American people are safe, that we still continue to go after violent criminals who are trafficking drugs, trafficking our children, and bring them to justice and get them out of our country.”

Noem’s comments follow President Donald Trump‘s decision to deploy Homan to Minnesota after heated clashes between anti-ICE agitators and federal agents sparked unrest across the Twin Cities.

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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem holds a news conference at Miami International Airport on Jan. 31, 2026, in Miami, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The unrest resulted in the law enforcement-related deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, which only exacerbated the outrage.

After a “very productive” meeting with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Homan vowed during a Jan. 29 news conference to stay in Minnesota, leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations there “until the problem is gone.” 

Meanwhile, House Democrats ramped up the pressure on Noem in light of tensions in the Twin Cities, calling for her firing and threatening impeachment if she remains in office.

NOEM SAYS MINNEAPOLIS SUSPECT COMMITTED ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM,’ ACCUSES WALZ, FREY OF INCITING VIOLENCE

Border czar Tom Homan speaks during a news conference about ongoing immigration enforcement operations on Jan. 29, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“We will continue to do our work, and this job is an honor to do. I’m very blessed that I get the chance to lead the department,” she said, responding to the criticism on Sunday.

“It’s an important position to protect our homeland and to make sure that these agencies are responding to people, that we’re stopping terrorists and criminals from harming the American people. I always tell people that the days that you don’t hear about us are the days that we were successful, because that meant that we stopped so many dangerous people from perpetuating violence and have gotten those terrorist threats and criminals out of our country before they had the chance to do something that would have devastated families.”

Despite calls for Noem’s removal by Democrats, Trump has praised her performance in the role.

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“I think she’s doing a very good job,” he recently told reporters.

“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.”

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Emma Colton contributed to this report.