Noem’s comments come as the Trump administration has altered its original tone and strategies in Minnesota after the fatal shooting. First, there was the revelation that border czar Tom Homan would now be leading illegal immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota. Then presidential adviser Stephen Miller revealed that agents in the state may have broken protocol during operations. Meanwhile, Noem said on Thursday the current FBI investigation of Pretti’s shooting would ensure “the American people know the truth of the situation.”

“We will continue to follow the investigation that the FBI is leading and giving them all the information that they need to bring that to conclusion and make sure the American people know the truth of the situation and how we can go forward and continue to protect the American people,” Noem said.

Hannity pressed Noem on her past use of the phrase “domestic terrorism” when commenting on the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

“People seem to be upset over the term ‘domestic terrorism.’ Why do you believe that’s appropriate because you used it in both cases?” Hannity asked. 

Noem mentioned the FBI investigation would be important in how the situation is discussed. She then pivoted to discussing the root of why ICE operations have occurred, mentioning the surge of “unvetted” illegal immigrants entering the country during the Biden administration. 

“We’re continuing to gather information and the FBI leading this investigation is important to make sure we talk about both these situations appropriately,” Noem said. “In the Renee Good situation, we have more information as it happened previously and we’ll continue to get to the truth of all of this. But we can’t distract from the fact of how we got here, and we got here because we had a Biden administration that allowed an invasion over our southern border and allowed millions of people to come into our country unvetted.”

“And we know for a fact that we had dangerous criminals and drug traffickers, murderers, terrorists, people on the suspected and known-terrorist watchlist, that are in this country, that these officers are working so hard to get off of our streets,” Noem said.

Hannity also asked Noem if there were “any lessons to be learned” from the Pretti shooting. Noem replied that she is committed to daily improvement and that, along with DHS, she can “always do better.”

“We believe that we can always do better, and we seek to do that every single day,” Noem said. “And we want to make sure that we not only improve protocols on the ground in chaotic and volatile situations like this, but that we continue to find the truth around this situation and get the facts to the American people and make sure that we continue to do our work every day with integrity.” 

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Noem also emphasized that DHS would stay the course and continue to “get criminals and dangerous people off the streets like these officers have been for months, ever since President Trump came back into office.”

She also lauded the courage of federal law enforcement officers as they continue to do their jobs in such challenging situations and a tenuous political climate.

“They take an oath to go out and protect these communities and to keep them safe, and that’s one of the jobs that they take very seriously, especially in Minneapolis, as we’ve seen this kind of violent riots go forward and attack them,” Noem said.