GOP Rift Deepens as Two Senators Call for Kristi Noem to Resign

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis on Tuesday called for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign, becoming the first Republican to do so following a fatal weekend shooting involving federal immigration agents.

Tillis said he has "lost all faith" in Noem as she faces intense scrutiny over the death of Alex Pretti. The intensive care nurse was shot and killed by two U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.

The North Carolina Republican argued that Noem’s "incompetence" has damaged the GOP’s standing on immigration and border security.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, echoed the sentiment shortly after, stating she has also lost confidence in the secretary. Both senators had previously voted to confirm Noem to the cabinet position.

President Trump defended Noem on Tuesday, insisting she is doing a "great job" and will not step down. The White House issued a statement confirming that Noem retains the "maximum trust and confidence" of the president.

While an effort to impeach Noem is gaining traction among House Democrats, the measure is unlikely to succeed in the Republican-controlled chamber.

The emerging friction within the Republican ranks represents a notable fissure that extends far beyond standard partisan opposition. Public calls for resignation from Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski—prominent moderates who have historically maintained an arm’s-length relationship with the Trump administration—signal a deepening divide between the party’s traditionalist wing and its populist loyalists.

The crux of the dissent centers on administrative competence rather than ideological alignment. Senator Tillis’s assertion that the cabinet official compromised an issue the GOP "should own"—border security—is a particularly sharp indictment. It suggests that the primary frustration among party regulars is not the administration's hardline policy direction, but rather its operational failure to execute. For an administration that has made immigration its central mandate, a perceived lack of technocratic proficiency in managing the border represents a significant political liability.

President Trump’s decision to provide a full-throated defense of a beleaguered official follows a familiar pattern of prioritizing personal loyalty over institutional performance. While this stance may shore up support among his most devoted base, it exacerbates tensions with party members concerned about the government’s overall effectiveness and public image. This confrontation, though localized, serves as a microcosm of the broader existential struggle over the Republican Party’s identity and functional capacity in the Trump era.

Leadership instability at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) creates a direct ripple effect across the Vietnamese-American community. Because DHS oversees agencies like USCIS and CBP, any administrative turmoil at the top can stall the very mechanisms our community relies on—from naturalization and green card applications to the processing of family-based petitions like the F2B category.

For families in Little Saigon and across the country, these leadership gaps often translate into frustrating backlogs and unpredictable policy shifts. This uncertainty weighs heavily on our community’s economic pulse, affecting everything from H-1B or EB-5 visas used by entrepreneurs in the nail salon industry and phở restaurants to the stability of those protected under TPS. When leadership is perceived as "incompetent" or in flux, it creates a climate of legal limbo, complicating the flow of remittances and leaving many who are caught in the immigration pipeline—whether waiting for family reunification or border clearance—in a state of constant anxiety.