Booker Joins Welch, Colleagues in Demanding Noem’s Immediate Resignation as DHS Secretary

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined his colleagues in calling on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to immediately resign, citing her deplorable leadership of the department. In a letter led by Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), Booker and U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) emphasized how the horrifying conduct of immigration agents in Minnesota has led to a complete loss of confidence in Secretary Noem's ability to serve as DHS Secretary.

"Immigration enforcement plays a central role in securing our border and ensuring non-citizens convicted of violent offenses are removed from our country. At your direction, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has become entirely unmoored from this mission," wrote the Senators. "The Department's violent immigration enforcement in Minnesota underscores just how far the agency has strayed. This month, immigration agents fatally shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The shootings of these two U.S. citizens were made possible by the culture-devoid of leadership or training-that you have created at DHS."

The Senators continued: "Under your management, immigration agents' behavior has been consistently brutal and overzealous. Since September 2025, ICE agents have shot 12 people, resulting in four deaths. You have presided over the highest number of in-custody deaths in two decades. In 2025, 32 people died in ICE custody. During that time, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 17 deaths. This month alone, six people have died in detention centers."

The Senators write that the abhorrent conduct at DHS is rooted in Noem's insufficient training and policy changes, which have created a culture of impunity: "You directed a recruitment effort that has led to thousands of hastily trained immigration officers being placed into our communities. Since January 2025, DHS has hired over 12,000 new ICE officers. To accommodate this hiring spree, officer training has been reduced from 16 weeks to approximately 6.5 weeks. These trainings are essential to ensure safe, lawful interactions for agents and community members alike."

"You also approved new guidance at DHS that violates federal law and the Constitution. In May 2025, but only publicly reported recently, ICE issued a memo directing agents to enter residences-without a judicial warrant-to arrest unauthorized immigrants. The Fourth Amendment prohibits searches and seizures without judicial warrants," the Senators continued. "DHS has also ignored federal court orders. In Minnesota, the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court recently accused ICE of having 'dozens of court orders with which [they] have failed to comply' during Operation Metro Surge."

The Senators slammed Noem's statements condemning the victims of officers' misconduct as undermining accountability: "After agents shot Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti, you immediately downplayed these killings and sought to blame the victims for their deaths. You falsely described Ms. Good, a wife and mother of three, as a domestic terrorist. You claimed that Mr. Pretti brandished a firearm before his death, which is directly contradicted by video evidence. Your statements-made prior to the completion of an investigation and contrary to evidence-have resulted in a massive loss of confidence in your ability to lead DHS."

"Taken together, your tenure represents a profound failure to uphold the responsibilities of your position. You have displayed a complete disregard for public safety, due process, civil liberties, and constitutional safeguards. A mission as important as protecting our homeland cannot be placed under your leadership. We call on you to resign immediately," the Senators concluded.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.