A day after one of her ICE agents shot a woman dead in Minneapolis, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem came to Lower Manhattan on Thursday and took rhetorical aim at elected officials in the Big Apple who condemned her and the agency for the incident that shocked the nation.
During her press conference at One World Trade Center, Noem attacked New York’s sanctuary city policies, and others like it around the country, which provide protections for undocumented individuals whom she has repeatedly referred to as “illegal aliens.”
The secretary tried to tie the city’s sanctuary city policies directly to a July 19, 2025, incident in which two suspects, both of whom had entered the country illegally, attempted to rob an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer in a city park, ultimately shooting him in the face and wrist.
“This officer’s life was forever altered by this heinous crime. His attackers never should have been in the country,” Noem said. “But they have been protected and were protected up until that point by sanctuary city policies.”
In the wake of the shooting, the investigation that followed tied the suspects to the Trinitarios, a trans-national criminal organization. Federal law enforcement officials worked with the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, subsequently launching “Operation Salvo” in an effort to round up reputed gang members, arresting at least 54 individuals thus far, according to Noem.
The suspects have been accused of weapons trafficking, human smuggling, narcotics distribution and armed robberies, officials at the Jan. 8 press conference said.
Noem also addressed the events in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 during the press conference in Lower Manhattan. She offered no apologies for the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot by an ICE agent amid a protest in the Minnesota city.
The incident, caught on camera, involved Good attempting to drive away as one ICE agent attempted to open the door. As she drove forward and away from that individual, another masked ICE agent nearby opened fire — pulling the trigger three times and fatally shooting Good in the face.
But Noem again claimed on Thursday morning the agent acted in self-defense, claiming Good — whom she alleged, without evidence, had committed an “act of domestic terrorism” — had attempted to “run them over” with her car. The secretary’s narrative seems to contradict the events in the video of the incident that went viral.
“This law enforcement officer followed his training in defense of his life and those around him,” she said, adding that “any loss of life is a tragedy.”
Noem said the incident is under investigation, with the FBI apparently taking over the case. Multiple outlets have reported that Minnesota investigators have been denied access to evidence for their own review.
ICE raids have increased throughout the country since President Donald Trump took office last year. Many of them have occurred at 26 Federal Plaza, the site of immigration court in Lower Manhattan, where masked ICE agents have apprehended immigrants obeying court orders to attend hearings about their immigration status. On numerous occasions, ICE agents have arrested elected officials and harassed and assaulted journalists seeking to document the operations.
Advocates and city elected officials rejected Noem’s claims and reaffirmed they would continue to protect immigrants across the city.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he has no plans to budge on lifting NYC’s sanctuary protections, per a statement he made following Wednesday’s horrific shooting in the Midwest.
“We know that when ICE agents attack immigrants, they attack every single one of us across this country,” the mayor said. “And this is a city that stands up for immigrants across the five boroughs, and I have made it clear to everyone within my city government, and that extends to NYPD, that we are going to uphold our sanctuary city policies.”
NYS Assembly Member Tony Simone on Thursday pushed for legislation aimed at curbing illegal masked operations by ICE.
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, had a direct message for Noem and ICE about sanctuary cities.
“Contrary to your spin, the facts are that New York’s longstanding, bipartisan sanctuary laws have made our city safer, fueled our economy, strengthened our communities, and made it easier for people to access vital services that support public safety,” she said. It’s also that fact that bail reform has advanced justice for thousands of New Yorkers without raising crime levels, which are at historic lows. It is ICE that is daily undermining public safety.”
“ICE has a total disregard for public safety, and human life,” Public Advocate Jumanne Williams added.
