Tillis probes ICE practices after calling Noem a ‘sycophant’

By Brett Rowland
The Center Square

A Republican Senator wants answers about reports of U.S. citizens being detained as part of President Donald Trump’s widespread immigration enforcement campaign.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem seeking answers about U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforcement operations around the country, including in Minneapolis.

The letter seeks records of every ICE interaction in the field, including those involving U.S. citizens. Tillis said he wants those records by March 2, the day before Noem is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Tillis praised Trump’s border efforts but criticized other enforcement operations as less successful.

“Recent operations raise serious questions that require direct oversight,” Tillis wrote in the letter.

He said these concerns include Operation Charlotte’s Web in North Carolina.

“Multiple public reports allege that U.S. citizens were detained, subject to force, and experienced damage to personal property,” Tillis wrote. “I seek clarification as to whether these reports are merely disingenuous accounts from partisans who do not share our commitment to a secure border, or if they reflect substantiated incidents.”

He raised similar concerns about Minneapolis but did not refer to the two high-profile shooting deaths of U.S. citizens.

“Similar concerns have since emerged in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where DHS enforcement actions reportedly involved U.S. citizens, use of force, reliance on administrative warrants, and unclear predication for initial engagements,” he wrote.

Tillis also asked Noem how many people were apprehended and released in Operation Charlotte’s Web, including their criminal histories.

Tillis will retire at the end of his term. He has strongly criticized Noem and White House aide Stephen Miller, calling both “sycophants.”

The letter comes as the White House withdraws some troops from Minnesota. White House Border Czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that 700 federal agents assisting immigration enforcement in Minnesota will return home.