WATCH LIVE: DHS Secretary Noem returns to Capitol Hill for the House Judiciary Hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended her department’s immigration enforcement tactics before a Senate committee on Tuesday and rejected criticism from Democrats who say she wrongly disparaged protesters killed by federal officers in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Noem is scheduled to testify at 10 a.m. EST. Watch the live stream in the video player above.

It was Noem’s first appearance in Congress since the shooting deaths of two protesters sparked widespread opposition to how the Trump administration is implementing its mass deportation agenda, a key policy of President Donald Trump’s second term. At the time, Noem portrayed the protesters, who are both American citizens, as instigators, though accounts by local officials and bystander videos contradicted her and other administration officials’ assertions.

He watches: 3 key takeaways from Noem’s first oversight hearing since Minneapolis death

In one conversation, retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called her leadership a “disaster” and denigrated her handling of the immigration crackdown and her management of the emergency response.

In the hearing, which extended for nearly five hours, Noem defended her agency’s treatment of migrants caught up in law enforcement activities, and blamed activists and others for attacks against officers.

“I want to address the dangerous environment our ICE officers face on the streets today,” Noem said. “They face a serious and escalating threat as a result of intentional misrepresentations of their heroic action and rhetoric that distorts the image of our law enforcement.”

Since the deaths in Minneapolis, the administration has taken steps aimed at easing tensions, including scaling down the operation there. But the administration has continued to impose restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration, purchased warehouses to hold immigrants, and continued to enforce federal law in areas across the country. About 650 investigators remain in Minnesota as part of a broader fraud investigation, Noem said.

He watches: Noem defends aggressive immigration tactics amid bipartisan criticism

The Noem administration’s immigration tactics have sparked a fight in Congress over its routine funding, which remains unresolved, even though a spending bill passed last year gave it a major infusion of money for the Republican administration’s mass deportation policy. Noem called the partial shutdown “reckless” and blamed Democrats for a move she said put national security at risk.

Her appearance before the Judiciary Committee also comes after a weekend shooting at a Texas bar, which is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, leading to concerns that the escalating conflict in Iran could have ramifications for security in the United States.

Noem blames the chaotic situation in her descriptions of the dead protesters
In what was initially described as an effort to crack down on fraud in Minnesota, the Department of Homeland Security sent hundreds of officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to the state. Protesters who organized marches and patrolled neighborhoods for ICE activity greeted them with whistles and took food to migrants afraid to leave their homes.

Renee Goode, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE officer on January 7, sparking intense protests demanding an end to the process. Then on January 24, CBP officers opened fire on Minnesota resident Alex Pretty, who was filming law enforcement operations.

These deaths led to cries for accountability and transparency. Noem, whose initial comments portrayed both Judd and Peretti as aggressors, was harshly criticized by Democrats and some Republicans, who called on her to resign.

Democrats repeatedly questioned Noem about her initial comments and called on her to apologize.

“You and your agency have been quick to label these victims as, for example, domestic terrorists,” said Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the committee’s top Democrat. “We have sufficient video evidence and eyewitness testimony to prove you wrong. Your statements have caused immeasurable pain to these families.”

Noem said she was relying on information from people at the scene and blamed “violent protesters” for contributing to the chaos officers encountered.

“I was receiving reports from the field from agents at the scene, and I would say it was a chaotic scene,” she said.

After public outrage over the deaths, Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take over operations. Homan has since announced the withdrawal of the number of ICE and FBI officers sent to Minnesota to carry out what he called “Operation Metro Surge,” though he insisted the president’s mass deportation agenda would continue.

Noem has also faced some Republican criticism

Republicans have continued to focus largely on the large numbers of immigrants who came to the country under former President Joe Biden, and have portrayed Noem as the leader of efforts to clean up the mess created by the previous administration.

But she was subjected to some harsh interrogations by members of her party. Tillis, who called on Noem to resign in the wake of the Minneapolis shootings, criticized her for wrongly arresting US citizens, her failures at the disaster recovery agency, and how she shot her dog.

“What we have seen is a disaster under your leadership, Miss Noem, a disaster,” Tillis said. “What we saw was the arrest of innocent people who turned out to be American citizens.”

Tillis, who has already announced that he will not run for another term, added: “We’re starting to make the American people think that deporting people is wrong. It’s the exact opposite. And the way you go about deporting them is wrong.” .

Another Republican, Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, also pushed her to explain why her department paid more than $200 million for an ad campaign in which she appeared last year encouraging immigrants to leave the country voluntarily and questioned whether Trump knew the price ahead of time.

Noem, who is scheduled to appear Wednesday before a House committee, defended those ads, saying they were effective and went through the department’s normal bidding process.

“Well, it was effective in getting your name recognized,” Kennedy said.