Killings in Minneapolis ‘absolutely deplorable,’ Charlotte’s congresswoman says

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams said she wants Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem impeached and removed from office after federal agents killed a second American citizen in Minneapolis.

“I think what’s happening in Minnesota is absolutely deplorable,” the Democrat who represents Charlotte said in a phone interview Monday.

Adams and 71 other Democrats in the House of Representatives introduced articles of impeachment against Noem earlier this month, which could trigger her removal from office. That came a week after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Renee Good.

At the time, Adams said in a statement that she did not take impeachment lightly, but that it was “clear” that Noem had violated the law and her oath of office.

Good’s killing sparked a largely partisan debate across the country, with the government claiming she tried to run over an agent with her vehicle despite videos not supporting the claim. Tensions rose further Saturday when Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who worked at a Veterans Affairs facility.

Both had been involved in protests in Minneapolis.

“Our communities are in serious danger under (Noem’s) leadership,” Adams said, adding that Charlotte also was victimized by her Department of Homeland Security when Border Patrol agents spent a week here in the fall.

ICE agents have been more active in the city since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

“They did some horrible things here in Charlotte,” Adams said. “We’ve got to do better.”

Republicans should speak up, Adams says

The congresswoman said that her Republican colleagues need to speak up.

“I have some friends who are Republicans… I have two bipartisan caucuses, so I work with them. I know that they must have a conscience, too,” she said.

A growing number of Republican lawmakers and other politicians have questioned and criticized agents’ actions in Minneapolis. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, also from North Carolina, has called for a thorough and impartial investigation into Saturday’s shooting.

Adams criticized Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, who she said has given Congress’ authority over to the executive branch. Johnson, elected as speaker in October 2023, has often deferred to Trump.

“He acts like he’s a staffer for the president,” Adams said.

Reforms are due at DHS even if Noem is forced out, she said, including barring federal agents from wearing masks — something that began last year under Trump. She also supports agents wearing body cameras and undergoing more training, she said.

“They’ve declared war on the people in the U.S., and it’s really got to stop,” she said. “It’s got to stop. I just think that, first, they need to get the hell out of Minnesota. They don’t need to be coming into any of these other cities, terrorizing people, because we’ve seen it here in Charlotte. We don’t want them back here.”

Trump appeared to attempt to shift tactics in Minnesota on Monday afternoon. National news outlets reported that some Border Patrol agents will leave the city starting Tuesday.

Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.

This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM.

Ryan Oehrli

The Charlotte Observer

Ryan Oehrli writes about criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. His reporting has delved into police misconduct, jail and prison deaths, the state’s pardon system and more. He was also part of a team of Pulitzer finalists who covered Hurricane Helene. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Beaufort County.