Sen. John Curtis says DHS secretary 'lost' trust following Minneapolis shooting

SALT LAKE CITY — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's response to a fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis will "forever undermine trust" with Americans, Utah Sen. John Curtis said Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at the state Capitol, Curtis expanded on his criticism of Noem after previously calling her response to the Jan. 24 shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti "premature." Noem initially said Pretti, a U.S. citizen, committed an "act of domestic terrorism" and planned to kill officers, even though videos showed him holding a cellphone, not a weapon.

Curtis quickly joined others in calling for an independent investigation into the shooting.

"I think it will forever undermine trust that she has with the American people," Curtis said of Noem's response. "Now, at this point, I think it's up to the president to see if that's salvageable, but I do think a lot of trust was lost, and as you know, trust is very hard to rebuild."

The senator's comments came amid a partial government shutdown impacting the Department of Homeland Security, which Noem oversees. Democrats are pushing for reforms to immigration enforcement procedures after Pretti and Renée Good, also a U.S. citizen, were fatally shot by agents in Minneapolis last month.

Curtis said he's still "hopeful" a resolution to end the shutdown can be reached, although he acknowledged negotiations between President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer appear to have stalled.

The shutdown impacts agencies like the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, ICE and CBP operations are still funded thanks to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" that passed last year, the Associated Press reported.

"(I'm) really frustrated myself," Curtis said. "I just do not like shutdowns. There's nothing good that comes out of a shutdown."

Curtis said he supports "reasonable reforms" at the Department of Homeland Security, such as better training for agents and scrutinizing how quickly they are being hired. As for Democrats' demands that ICE agents stop wearing masks in the field, Curtis was less enthusiastic. He said there are known instances of immigration agents being doxxed, with personal information about them and their families publicly posted online.

"It's easy for me to say this is not just as clean-cut as 'don't wear a mask,'" he said.

There have been rumblings that an immigrant detention facility may be coming to Salt Lake City, prompting protests by some Utahns. Curtis said state lawmakers raised that issue with him on Thursday during private meetings, but he has not had any discussions with the Trump administration about it.

"But I'm happy to advocate on behalf of the state and do what's best for the state," Curtis added. "Beyond that, I've not had conversations."

Opposition to Trump nominee

Curtis recently announced his opposition to one of Trump's nominees for a high-ranking State Department position, likely tanking the nomination.

Jeremy Carl was tapped to serve as an assistant secretary of state for International Organizations, but Curtis grilled him during a recent hearing over previous statements Carl had made suggesting that Jewish people focus too much on the Holocaust.

"I'm not convinced that Jeremy Carl is the right person to represent our nation's best interests in international forums, and I find his anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about Jews unbecoming of the position for which he has been nominated," the senator stated last week.

This is the first time Curtis has outright opposed one of Trump's nominees. But it's not the first time the freshman senator has raised questions about them. Curtis was reportedly one of several GOP senators who helped sink former Rep. Matt Gaetz's nomination as attorney general.

Curtis also expressed concerns about confirming Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. Hegseth was accused of sexual assault, heavy drinking, financial mismanagement and other things. Curtis initially said those allegations were "serious," but he ultimately voted to confirm Hegseth.

Asked on Thursday why he decided to come out so strongly against Carl's nomination, the senator said: "There's a difference between concerns and an outright no."

"I was willing to give a lot of deference to the president in his selection," Curtis said of Trump's cabinet nominees. "I think at that point I'm looking for fatal flaws, right? That's a line I can't cross. Jeremy Carl, to me, has fatal flaws."

Curtis added he chose to "speak out early" against Carl.

"I didn't want this thing to mature and have people question where I was at," he said. "The longer it goes, the better I actually feel about my decision."

Curtis talks priorities and AI regulation

Curtis spoke to reporters after meeting with state lawmakers from both parties about his priorities in Congress that include tax relief, cutting regulation around housing and transportation, streamlining the development of clean energy and protecting children online.

As the Utah Legislature weighs several bills this session dealing with artificial intelligence, the Trump administration is pressuring one state representative to drop his bill requiring AI developers to implement plans to keep children safe while using the emerging technology. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt even came to the Capitol to speak in favor of the bill.

"We are categorically opposed to Utah HB286 and view it as an unfixable bill that goes against the administration's AI agenda," a letter from the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs reads.

Curtis said Congress is "wrestling" with potential AI regulations.

"I personally think there's probably a lane for states, and there's probably a lane for the federal government," he said. "We need to define that and make sure that everybody is in their lanes."

Curtis said he's worried about ceding the technology race to global adversaries but added he thinks there is broad support for regulations aimed at protecting kids.

Related topics