WATCH: Senator Tillis calls for Noem’s resignation as DHS chief in oversight hearing

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at an oversight hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Watch Tillis’ full questioning of Noem in the video player above.

Tillis criticized Noem for her leadership decisions in stepping up immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. He said the lack of accountability for the actions of the Department of Homeland Security, including the agency’s response to the killing of American citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents, does not protect law enforcement.

He watches: Senator Schiff asks Noem to justify her claims of ‘domestic terrorism’ after shooting in Minnesota

“We have to point it out when they make a mistake, and then correct it,” Tillis said of clients. “But you don’t walk away from him and you have done that many times.”

Tillis, who has called for Noem’s resignation, cited her 2024 memoir in which she recounted the killing of her 14-month-old dog and likened it to a difficult leadership decision.

“You decided to kill this dog because you didn’t invest the proper time in training, and then you have the audacity to go into a book and say it’s a leadership lesson about hard choices,” Tillis said.

Noem’s agency has witnessed unrest and public anger in recent months. The shootings of Renee Judd and Alex Peretti by federal officers in Minneapolis sparked weeks of protests in the Twin Cities area. Trump officials, including Noem, accused the victims of committing acts of “domestic terrorism.”

But bystander videos challenged the administration’s narrative of the high-profile deaths. Greater scrutiny by Democrats of the aggressive tactics used by DHS to implement Trump’s mass deportation agenda has led to a decline in funding for the agency and a partial government shutdown.

Lawmakers in Congress have yet to reach an agreement to fund the department, though there are areas of bipartisan agreement, such as requiring immigration enforcement officers to wear body cameras.

Noem will also field questions Wednesday from the House Judiciary Committee.