Kristi Noem, the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, is expected to be at the border in San Diego County on Thursday morning for a news conference. Joining her for the event at 1:30 p.m. in Otay Mesa, which is expected to highlight “the Trump Administration’s historic borde r security and drug seizure efforts,” according to a news release sent out Wednesday, will be Mike Beaks, the chief of the Border Patrol, as well as other Customs and Border Protection officials. It’s unknown at this time if any local officials will be attending the event. Continuing coverage DHS Feb 6 DHS warned its independent watchdog that Noem can kill its investigations, senator says Immigration Feb 6 ‘An impossibility': Negotiations to reform ICE sputter as shutdown looms for DHS Trump Administration Feb 2 Every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis being issued a body-worn camera, Noem says San Diego City Council Feb 1 City councilmembers to vote on resolution opposing ‘excessive' ICE tactics Noem and the DHS have, of course, come under intense scrutiny for the actions of ICE in Minnesota and elsewhere. Calls for her impeachment or firing came from various congressional representatives in December in the wake of the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good during operations in Minneapolis. Among those representatives were local representatives Juan Vargas, Scott Peters, Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs. Democrats lack the necessary clout on Capitol Hill to achieve Noem’s impeachment, though, at least while Republicans hold the majority. Noem’s brash leadership style and remarks in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of Pretti and Good — in which she suggested Pretti “attacked” officers and portrayed the events leading up to Good’s shooting an “act of domestic terrorism” — have been seen as doing irreparable damage, as events on the ground disputed her account. Her alliance with former Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who was recalled from the Minnesota operation as border czar Tom Homan took the lead, has left her isolated on Capitol Hill. For Republicans uneasy with the administration’s enforcement tactics but reluctant to criticize President Donald Trump directly, Noem has become the focal point for their anxiety. “I think you have a secretary right now that needs to be accountable to the chaos and some of the tragedy that we have seen,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who said Noem should step down. Murkowski added that “we need clarity and accountability for the chaos and tragedy we have seen.” For his part, Trump has said Noem was “doing a very good job” and would remain in his administration. In fact, Trump defended Noem at multiple junctures, strongly indicating her job does not appear to be in immediate jeopardy. Asked by reporters as he left the White House in January for a trip to Iowa whether Noem was going to step down, Trump had a one-word answer: “No.” Pressed later during an interview on Fox News if he had confidence in Noem, the president said, “I do.” “Who closed up the border? She did,” Trump said, “with Tom Homan, with the whole group. I mean, they’ve closed up the border. The border is a tremendous success.” Funding for the Homeland Security Department is set to expire this weekend unless a deal can be reached in Congress. Finding agreement on the charged, partisan issue of immigration enforcement will be exceedingly difficult. Even as lawmakers in both parties were skeptical, however, a White House official said that the administration was having constructive talks with both Republicans and Democrats. The official, granted anonymity to speak about ongoing deliberations, stressed that Trump wanted the government to remain open and for Homeland Security services to be funded. Newsom’s recent visit to the same stretch of border The Noem event comes a week and a half after California Gov. Gavin Newsom held an event not far away. The state leader touted the seizure of more than a half-billion dollars worth of fentanyl across the state over the past five years as part of expanded drug enforcement efforts at the southern border. More than 50 million fentanyl pills worth an estimated $506 million and weighing 34,357 pounds have been seized since 2021 through drug interdiction efforts supported by the California National Guard, the governor said. Last year, the number of servicemembers deployed at California’s ports of entry was doubled as part of the White House’s crackdown on transnational drug trafficking, which Newsom said was supported by a $30 million investment aimed at expanding the National Guard’s drug interdiction activities. “Fentanyl is killing Californians every day — and we are meeting this crisis with action, not rhetoric,” Newsom said in a statement. “In 2021, we launched a focused effort to stop traffickers at the border and along our transportation corridors. The results are clear: lives saved, communities protected, and criminal networks disrupted.” In San Diego, CHP operations conducted since last year have led to 404 arrests, 29 recovered stolen vehicles, and 104 pounds of illegal drugs seized, according to Newsom’s office. City News Service contributed to this report — Ed. ...read more read less