Washington — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said Tuesday he has lost all confidence in "incompetent" Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has faced intense scrutiny over a fatal shooting by immigration agents over the weekend.
"I think my position is pretty unambiguous," Tillis told reporters. "I think she should go."
Tillis was the first Republican to call for Noem's ouster, though other members of his party have not been shy about criticizing the Trump administration's response to the killing of Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse who was fatally shot by two Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Tillis, who is retiring, said his doubts about Noem go beyond her department's handling of the immigration clampdown in Minnesota.
"I can't think of any point of pride over the last year," Tillis said. "She has taken this administration into the ground on an issue that we should own. We should own the issue of border security and immigration. But they have destroyed that for Republicans, something that got the president elected. They have destroyed it through their incompetence."
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska later echoed the sentiments shared by Tillis.
"I've lost confidence in her," Murkowski told reporters."We would be better served with new leadership."
CBS News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
President Trump told reporters Tuesday that Noem is "doing a very good job" and is not stepping down. CBS News reported earlier that Noem is facing internal scrutiny within the administration but is expected to keep her job, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Noem was at the White House on Monday and faced questions about how DHS handled the Pretti shooting and its response, sources said. Her focus is expected to shift from immigration enforcement operations in the interior of the country to securing the southern border and other priorities.
Alan He contributed to this report.
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