Read our feature article on combating and resisting ICE terror here.
Ultra-reactionary President Trump fired Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5. Her tenure was marked by mass resistance to the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.
The administration cited “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures, including the fallout in Minnesota.”
Resistance to “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago and “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota involved hundreds of thousands of workers and activists in those regions and millions nationwide.
The murders of anti-ICE activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti, shot by federal agents in Minneapolis in January 2026 two and a half weeks apart, triggered massive school walkouts, the creation of rapid-response networks, combative protests, and two large days of action that organizers described as “general strikes.”
The New York Times reports ICE arrests fell in February to their lowest levels since September, demonstrating the success of mass rebellions in forcing ICE out.
The Democrat mafia colluded to demobilize the masses, criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for not being trained well enough and calling for greater cooperation between DHS and local governments. They also deployed police and the National Guard to protect DHS agents while violently repressing anti-ICE demonstrators.
Kristi Noem and former Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino doubled down in justifying the immensely unpopular ICE terror, referring to those murdered by DHS as “domestic terrorists.”
Bovino was previously removed from his role in Minnesota by Trump two days after the murder of Pretti, on January 26, following intense anti-ICE demonstrations. He was replaced by “border czar” Tom Homan.
On February 12, Homan announced the end of “Metro Surge”, signaling a significant defeat of that campaign dealt by the mass movement.
Noem’s tenure was marked by other scandals, including an extramarital affair and a $200 million DHS advertising campaign starring Noem that drew scrutiny for awarding contracts to firms linked to her political network.
The main reason for her demotion appears to be growing opposition to mass deportations, which threatens the Republican mafia’s prospects in the 2026 midterm electoral farce. Her firing was announced five days after the US and Israel launched a deeply unpopular predatory war against Iran, as the Trump administration quietly retreats on mass deportations.
Noem will be shifted to serve as an “Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new military coalition designed to maintain US domination over Latin America.
Trump has since tapped Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin as Noem’s potential replacement.
Mullin is a vocal supporter of Trump’s terrorist immigration policy, advocating the deportation of US citizens born to immigrants. Mullin also defended the murder of Good and has stated that everyone in the US should carry proof of citizenship on their person at all times.
Image: Then-South Dakota governor Kristi Noem receives a briefing in 2019. Credit: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
