Sen. Thom Tillis lambasted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday, declaring her leadership a "disaster" during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing.

The North Carolina Republican, who is retiring at the end of his term next year, used nearly 10 minutes to deliver what he called a "performance evaluation" of Noem, accusing her of repeated failures across DHS agencies. "Time after time after time, I’ve been disappointed," Tillis said. "And what we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership, Ms. Noem, a disaster."

Tillis highlighted mishandlings in immigration enforcement, particularly a January immigration crackdown in Minneapolis that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs nurse, was shot by Customs and Border Protection agents while recording the operations, prompting widespread backlash. Tillis criticized Noem for not admitting mistakes in the shootings, inadequate investigations, and detaining innocent Americans. "What we’ve seen is innocent people getting detained who, turns out, are American citizens," he said.

He also faulted FEMA's disaster response under Noem, displaying charts showing plummeting reimbursements and alleging delays in approving funding over $100,000, potentially violating the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Tillis demanded answers on a North Carolina immigration operation dubbed "Charlotte’s Web" and cited a letter from the DHS Office of Inspector General documenting 10 instances of stonewalling investigations.

In a personal jab, Tillis referenced Noem's memoir, criticizing her account of killing a 14-month-old dog as a misguided leadership lesson. "You decided to kill that dog because you had not invested the appropriate time in training," he said.

Tillis reiterated prior calls for Noem's resignation and threatened to hold up Senate business, including DHS nominees, until receiving responses to his inquiries. Noem offered a limited response during his remarks, confirming only that White House border czar Tom Homan reports directly to President Trump.

The hearing marked Noem's first congressional testimony since the Minneapolis incidents, amid a partial government shutdown affecting DHS funding. Noem defended the administration's border security achievements, admitted some errors, and blamed Democrats for holding the agency "hostage." She offered condolences for the Minneapolis deaths, calling them tragic.

Other senators joined the scrutiny. Democrats like Sen. Dick Durbin accused DHS of lacking a moral compass, while some Republicans, including Sen. John Kennedy, questioned Noem's statements labeling Pretti a domestic terrorist and agency spending. Committee Chair Chuck Grassley acknowledged mistakes had occurred.

Noem, sworn in as the eighth DHS secretary on January 25, 2025, after serving as South Dakota governor, faces ongoing pressure. Tillis first called for her ouster in January over the Minneapolis fallout.