Sec. Kristi Noem speaks at a press conference along the border wall in Nogales, AZ on Feb. 4. (DHS photo by Mikaela McGee)
During an exclusive interview along the border wall in Nogales, Ariz., Noem told Fox News Digital that the national security functions of the agency are too vital to be sidelined by a spending fight.
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"Every day [DHS is] finding terrorists and removing them from our country, protecting our cybersecurity systems, our critical infrastructure," Noem told Fox. "Only 11% of the DHS budget is ICE. The rest of it is FEMA, TSA, that runs our security checkpoints at our airports."
"It is also the Coast Guard, which is absolutely critical to our maritime protection and also partnering with the Department of War," Noem added. "We have weapons of mass destruction, science and technology, our national labs."
"We have a lot of responsibilities that we absolutely need to fund in order to do them properly. So I'm hopeful that Congress will recognize that and pass this bill quickly," Noem said.
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But the debate around government spending wasn’t about the Coast Guard, FEMA or TSA. It was almost entirely based on one of the 23 agencies which Noem oversees – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Specifically, it centered around ICE's actions in Minneapolis, a so-called sanctuary city in which the local authorities provide only minimal support to federal officers enforcing immigration laws.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly backed DHS chief Noem in public comments in January. (Jim Watson/Getty Images)
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"[The American people] want to know that we're enforcing our laws and that we are going after dangerous criminals, and they don't want them to be released on the streets to perpetuate more crimes," Noem explained.
At some stops along Noem’s trip, agitators appeared. At a dinner she hosted inside a hotel in Tucson, Arizona, for CBP officers, protesters with drums, megaphones and seemingly pre-made signs gathered at the entrance of the hotel. Every other car driving by the demonstration honked, though it’s unclear whether they were honking in support or in disagreement with the protesters.
A Quinnipiac University survey taken from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 showed 58% of those questioned saying that Noem shouldn’t have the job.
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Fox News Digital spoke with a GOP insider who pointed to Noem’s inexperience on the national stage, saying her time as governor of South Dakota didn’t prepare her for one of the most challenging roles in the presidential cabinet.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (not pictured) displays a momtage of photos showing the illegal border crossing a year ago as she meets with CBP officials at Eagle Pass, Texas, Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Noem assesses the progress been made since she became head of the agency a year ago. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
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"Why would I do that? We have the strongest border in the history of our country," Trump said. "We have the best crime numbers we've ever had going back to the year 1900. That's 125 years. We have the lowest crime numbers."
Trump also appointed Tom Homan, the former ICE director during Trump’s first term and the executive associate director of Enforcement and Removal Operations under President Barack Obama, to serve as border czar, a role previously held by Kamala Harris.
Some reports painted a picture of an unspoken rivalry between Homan and Noem following Trump’s decision to put Homan in command of the situation in Minneapolis.
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But Noem told Fox News Digital she credited Homan for working to get local leaders in Minneapolis to come to the table and negotiate order in what has been a chaotic scene in the Twin Cities.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a roundtable in the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday Oct. 8, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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"What people need to remember is that Democrat policies were destroying our country," Noem said. "And President Trump came in and said, I'm going to protect the American people. It's not going to happen anymore. "
"Since [the Biden administration], thousands of people's lives have been saved just here, just right here on the border, because those migrants are not victimized anymore," Noem added.
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/calm-amid-chaos-noem-defies-calls-resign-touts-border-victory-shutdowns-storms-riots-swirl