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Public disputes concerning immigration, border policy, detention, removal proceedings, residence status, and enforcement.
Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.
5 statements on this page. Dates: September 18, 2025 to March 3, 2026
5 matching statements. Dates: September 18, 2025 to March 3, 2026
5 published statements. Dates: September 18, 2025 to March 3, 2026
Role at the time: U.S. secretary of homeland security testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee
Statement summary
Noem said the shooting appeared wrong as Blumenthal described it, while withholding a final position until she could review the case.
“Sir, the way that you have portrayed it, it appears to be, but let me look at the case so I can speak to the specifics of it.”
Official transcript of a March 3 Senate Judiciary Committee exchange between Richard Blumenthal and Kristi Noem. The page includes their direct statements about Marimar Martinez's shooting and the limits Noem placed on her answer.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Noem agreed only that the conduct appeared wrong as Blumenthal described it and reserved judgment pending review, making her position conditional.
Role at the time: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Statement summary
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters at a January 24, 2026 press conference that Pretti impeded federal law enforcement operations and attacked officers, framing the shooting as a response to an assault.
“impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers”
Poynter fact-check quoting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's January 24, 2026 press conference statement that Pretti used his weapon to assault law enforcement officers, set against the outlet's review of bystander video.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Noem characterizes Pretti as the aggressor who attacked and impeded officers, which excuses the agents' decision to fire rather than evaluating whether the force used was proportionate to any threat he actually posed.
Role at the time: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, quoted in a DHS press release
Response to this claim
Officer Christian Castro was ambushed and beaten with a snow shovel and broom handle by Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and two other men, and fired a single defensive shot because he feared for his life.
“What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement. Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot.”
DHS's original press release on the shooting, read in full on 2026-09-22. It names three men — Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna (a spelling later reports give as "Aljorna") and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma — as having violently attacked the officer, and quotes Secretary Noem calling it an attempted murder of federal law enforcement. The release's second paragraph gives the incident date as "January 14, 2025", an apparent typographical error; the release date and all other dates in the document, and every other source, place the shooting on January 14, 2026. As of the access date, this release remains published on DHS's website without a correction or retraction, a fact separately noted by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (see the Hennepin/Minnesota Attorney General source below).
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Noem expressly characterizes the shooting as a defensive response to a life-threatening attack, directly excusing Castro's use of force.
Role at the time: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Statement summary
Noem said agents fired to protect themselves from an attacker.
“Our agents had to protect themselves and shots were fired and an individual ended up in the hospital that was attacking these officers.”
Contemporaneous ABC News report quoting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s explanation of why agents fired during the October 4 encounter.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)This explicitly presents the shooting as a defensive response to an attack.
Role at the time: U.S. secretary of homeland security
Statement summary
Noem said the agent’s life had been endangered and that he suffered serious injuries during the encounter.
“His life was put at risk and he sustained serious injuries.”
Associated Press report based on police body-camera footage and interviews, including positions from ICE official Marcos Charles, Secretary Kristi Noem and Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)She reinforces the imminent-threat premise used to justify the agent’s decision to fire.
