Secretary Kristi Noem sounds off about Democrats' reaction to immigration operations during a news conference, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Nogales, Arizona. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)
BEHIND THE SCENES: TRUMP AND WHITE HOUSE RALLY BEHIND NOEM AS ‘RADICALS’ DEMAND OUSTER
Noem's remarks come weeks after anti-immigration enforcement riots broke out following the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have continued to accuse the administration of trampling citizens' constitutional rights by targeting minorities and weaponizing the Department of Justice (DOJ), demanding ICE leave the blue state.
Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference in Arizona, Wednesday. (Pool)
"The beauty of our republic is that our people have the freedom to choose," she said. "When they elected President Trump, they chose differently. They chose someone who recognized that a country with no border is no country at all. A country that doesn't enforce its laws is a lawless country. We had never experienced the kind of chaos before in recent history that we saw during the Biden administration, and the American people rejected it.
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"They rejected it and its lawlessness and chose to return to law and order.… We've got a promise of a bright future and a promise of an amazing country for years to come. You have stood up, and stood on the line, to make sure that we have freedom and liberty for our children and our grandchildren for years to come."
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.
She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/noem-slams-dems-biden-administration-lacking-compassion-amid-anti-ice-tensions