Noem Refuses to Retract 'Domestic Terrorism' Label for Renee Good and Alex Pretti in House Testimony
At a March 4 House Judiciary Committee hearing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem refused to retract or apologize for calling the fatal ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti "domestic terrorism," saying she relied on "reports from the ground" and offering condolences while Democrats pressed that she labeled the incidents before investigations; her testimony followed a contentious Senate hearing and comes amid a partial DHS shutdown and calls for her resignation. The killings have prompted streetside memorials in Minneapolis, family members who reject Noem’s characterization and demand accountability, and protests that culminated on the one‑month anniversary with at least 42 arrests after objects including bottles, ice and sex toys were thrown and a deputy was injured, while federal officials announced plans to withdraw about 700 immigration officers contingent on local cooperation.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- At a March 4, 2026 House Judiciary hearing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem refused to apologize or retract calling the fatal ICE shootings of Renee Good (Jan. 7) and Alex Pretti (Jan. 24) "an act of domestic terrorism," saying she based the remark on "reports from the ground," while also calling the shootings "an absolute tragedy" and offering condolences.
- Ranking Member Jamie Raskin and Rep. Hank Johnson pressed Noem that she applied the "domestic terrorism" label within hours of the killings—before investigations were complete—and she declined to walk back the comment in both House and earlier Senate testimony.
- Noem’s House appearance came a day after a contentious Senate Judiciary hearing where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis criticized DHS under her leadership, renewed calls for her resignation, and took place against the backdrop of a partial DHS shutdown that began Feb. 14.
- On Feb. 7, at least 42 protesters were arrested outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis after a large memorial earlier that day marking the one‑month anniversary of Renee Good’s death; law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly amid video showing protesters tearing down police tape, shouting at state patrol officers, wearing gas masks and throwing objects—including bottles, chunks of ice and sex toys—reports say a deputy was struck and a squad‑car windshield was smashed.
- Mayor Jacob Frey publicly praised the memorial earlier that day as "spreading love" but did not publicly address the subsequent confrontation at the federal building.
- Minneapolis has informal streetside memorials at the exact shooting sites for Good and Pretti; the city has shifted lanes and closed parking around Pretti’s Eat Street memorial and used cones to protect mourners at Good’s site, and officials say it is "too early" to decide whether either memorial will become permanent while engaging the community on next steps.
- Good’s family told CBS Evening News they spent "hours in limbo" after she was shot; her father, Tim Ganger, a Trump voter, rejects Noem’s "domestic terrorism" characterization, points to video of Good calming an officer ("It’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you"), and called for a thorough investigation and accountability—also expressing heartbreak that ICU nurse Alex Pretti was killed weeks later.
- Border czar Tom Homan announced the withdrawal of roughly 700 federal immigration officers from Minnesota—about a quarter of the federal surge—contingent on increased state and local cooperation in turning over arrested immigrants, while Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Frey continue to accuse the federal administration of unconstitutional ICE tactics in the state.
đź“Š Analysis & Commentary (2)
DAVID MARCUS: Memo to Bono: Please shut up and go away
"A conservative opinion column criticizes Bono’s public condemnation of the Renee Good/ICE shooting, arguing celebrity outrage is hypocritical, factually sloppy, and inflames a complex local incident rather than illuminating it."
Mayors need to understand the problem
"An opinion urging city mayors to move beyond symbolic posturing about memorials, protests and federal ICE actions and to understand the complex local‑federal dynamics, trauma and public‑safety tradeoffs so they can craft pragmatic, durable policies rather than feeding polarization."
đź“° Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 04, 2026
5:13 PM
Kristi Noem refuses to apologize for accusing Good, Pretti of domestic terrorism
New information:
- During a March 4, 2026 House Judiciary Committee hearing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem repeatedly refused to apologize for calling the fatal ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti 'domestic terrorism,' despite pointed questioning from Ranking Member Jamie Raskin.
- Raskin and Rep. Hank Johnson pressed Noem on why she used the 'domestic terrorism' label within hours of the killings, before any investigation had been completed, highlighting that she 'didn’t wait for the evidence.'
- Noem again called the shootings 'an absolute tragedy' and offered condolences but justified her earlier comments as based on 'reports from the ground from agents at the scene,' and declined to walk them back in either House or Senate testimony.
- The article notes that her House appearance came one day after a similarly contentious Senate Judiciary hearing where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called DHS under her leadership 'a disaster' and renewed calls for her resignation, all against the backdrop of a partial DHS shutdown since Feb. 14.
February 28, 2026
12:58 AM
Renee Good's family spent "hours in limbo" after she was fatally shot
New information:
- Good’s parents and brothers, in a CBS Evening News interview, describe spending 'hours in limbo' unsure whether she had survived after learning she’d been shot by an ICE officer.
- Her father, Tim Ganger, a Trump voter, publicly rejects Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s description of Good’s actions as 'an act of domestic terrorism' and says he does not believe she would ever weaponize her vehicle against an agent.
- The family cites video of Renee telling an officer, 'It’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you,' as consistent with their description of her as a calming, non‑combative person, and they call for a thorough investigation and accountability.
- Good’s family expresses heartbreak that ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by CBP officers in Minneapolis just weeks later, saying 'something is broken and something needs to be fixed.'
February 14, 2026
7:57 AM
Minneapolis left to decide future of streetside memorials to 2 people killed by federal officers
New information:
- Describes the current status and physical layout of the informal memorials at the exact sites where Renee Good (Jan. 7) and Alex Pretti (Jan. 24) were shot by federal agents.
- Reports that Minneapolis has shifted traffic lanes and closed parking around the Pretti memorial on Eat Street, and is using cones to protect mourners at the Good memorial while keeping the residential street open.
- City spokesperson Jess Olstad says Minneapolis is 'actively working on next steps, including continued community engagement regarding both memorials,' while a mayoral spokesperson says it is 'too early' to say if they will become permanent.
- Residents describe the memorials as symbols of community solidarity and collective trauma, echoing the George Floyd Square experience one mile away; the story notes it took more than five years for the city to decide how to officially memorialize Floyd’s site.
February 08, 2026
1:18 AM
Anti-ICE agitators arrested at federal building in Minneapolis after lewd objects hurled at law enforcement
New information:
- At least 42 anti‑ICE protesters were arrested Saturday outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
- Video shows protesters tearing down police tape, shouting at state patrol officers, and throwing 'lewd objects' at law‑enforcement vehicles; some wore gas masks.
- The protest and arrests followed a large memorial earlier that day at Powderhorn Park for Renee Good and Alex Pretti, held exactly one month after Good’s death; Mayor Jacob Frey publicly praised the memorial as 'spreading love' but did not address the subsequent violence at the federal building.
- The article notes that Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Frey continue to accuse the Trump administration of unconstitutional ICE tactics in Minnesota and that border czar Tom Homan has withdrawn 700 federal agents, leaving a smaller but still sizable federal presence.
12:13 AM
Police arrest protesters at Minneapolis federal building on 1-month anniversary of woman's death
New information:
- Protesters marked the one‑month anniversary of Renee Good’s Jan. 7 killing with a demonstration outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on Feb. 7, 2026.
- The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office told KSTP that at least 42 protesters were arrested after officers declared an unlawful assembly, citing thrown ice chunks and property damage including a smashed squad‑car windshield.
- The article provides fresh detail that objects thrown at officers included bottles, chunks of ice and sex toys, and that a deputy was hit in the head during the confrontation.
- It reconfirms and contextualizes that Tom Homan has announced the withdrawal of about 700 immigration officers from Minnesota — roughly a quarter of the federal surge — contingent on increased state and local cooperation in turning over arrested immigrants.
February 06, 2026