Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem refused to apologize for calling two Minnesotans domestic terrorists after they were shot and killed by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge.

Those comments became a central focus of more than four hours of questioning in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 3. Noem was repeatedly pressed by Democrats to apologize and retract her characterization of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

“I certainly offer my condolences to these families and for their loss and it was a tragic situation that we saw in Minneapolis,” Noem said when pressed.

“I will continue every day to get up and to work hard to give everybody factual information,” she said when asked another time if she would apologize.

The hearing comes several weeks after the Trump administration announced it was winding down the federal immigration crackdown, which drew thousands of agents into the state and led to sometimes violent clashes with protesters. Gov. Tim Walz sent a letter to Noem on Monday asking for more information on children detained during the surge and updates on the number of agents that remained in the state.

Shortly after the fatal shooting of Good, Noem characterized it as an officer’s act of self-defense against “domestic terrorism,” a characterization that bystanders quickly disputed.

And in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Pretti, Noem told reporters that “when you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism.”

“This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem said at the time. “That’s the facts.”

Noem’s quick judgment of Good and Pretti’s actions has been widely debated by lawmakers, and at times has put her at odds with other Trump administration officials. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing in February that he did not think Good and Pretti were domestic terrorists.

Pressed by Klobuchar to apologize to Pretti’s family for her remarks, Noem tried to walk back her characterization of him as a domestic terrorist.

“I did not call (Pretti) a domestic terrorist. I said it appeared to be an incident of,” Noem told Klobuchar.

“I think that his parents saw it for what it was,” Klobuchar responded to Noem.

Noem also avoided saying whether she would support a joint state and federal investigation into Good and Pretti’s fatal shootings.

“The FBI is leading this investigation, and I would leave that question for them to answer,” Noem said when asked about the decision by Klobuchar.

Noem told Klobuchar that there are still roughly 650 federal agents in Minnesota, including some investigators who remain in the state to work on rooting out social services fraud, the stated reason for Operation Metro Surge.

The hearing came three weeks into a partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, after Democrats rejected funding for the agency in order to negotiate reforms following Operation Metro Surge.

Republicans tried to keep the focus on how the shutdown is affecting national security, immigration enforcement broadly and Noem’s work to secure the border. Some also laid blame on the Biden administration’s “open border” policy, applauding Noem for her work to secure the border.

“Let me be clear: One death is too many. But officers should never be threatened or harmed while enforcing our laws,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, the committee’s chair. “There is a clear difference between the conduct protected by the First Amendment and unlawful obstruction.”

But some other Republicans broke from their party and criticized Noem’s leadership and handling of Operation Metro surge.

“What we’ve seen is a disaster, under your leadership,” GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, a frequent critic of Trump and his administration, told Noem. “What we’ve seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens.”

Tillis also asked Noem: “Why can’t we just say we made a mistake” on Operation Metro Surge?

Two Minnesota teachers made the trip to D.C. to watch Noem’s hearing and provide their perspective on how the immigration crackdown affected schools in the state.

“Seven students from our schools in Columbia Heights have been detained by ICE, dozens of families have been directly impacted by ICE presence, and we still have about one fourth of our students who are choosing to take classes online instead of risking leaving their homes in order to come to school,” said Kristen Sinicariello, a world history teacher at Columbia Heights High School.

Sinicariello said it was “disgusting” to hear Noem “spinning this propaganda in real time.”

“Kristi Noem, DHS, and ICE must be held accountable for their extrajudicial acts and the irreparable harm they have committed in Minnesota,” Sinicariello said.

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(Sarah Nelson of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this report.)

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