Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker mocked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ahead of Halloween, saying she must love the occasion “because she always dresses in law enforcement costumes.”
Pritzker on Thursday reacted to Noem rejecting his request to suspend DHS’s Operation Midway Blitz for Halloween weekend, in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents have used at times controversial tactics in Chicago. Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander there, has been accused of throwing a tear gas canister into a crowd without justification. DHS denies the allegations.
“We know Kristi Noem must love Halloween because she always dresses in law enforcement costumes, but what is truly shameful is that she refuses to agree that we shouldn’t tear gas children trick or treating,” Pritzker, 60, wrote on X.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Pritzker “is going out of his way to smear the law enforcement officers of DHS, who are attempting to clean up the rampant crime he facilitated.”
“He is pushing a false narrative that DHS is targeting schools, hospitals, and churches. This is false, he knows this, but he continues to push these lies,” McLaughlin added. “Our officers are facing mass assaults, vehicles used as weapons, violence and only use crowd control methods as a last resort when repeated warnings have been given. Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear. Elected officials choosing to fearmonger by distorting reality are doing a great disservice to our country and are responsible for the nearly 1,000% increase in assaults and 8,000% increase in violent threats against ICE officers.”
As for Noem’s “costumes,” the examples are plenty.
Since taking office in January, the former South Dakota governor has taken on the role of firefighter, boat and helicopter pilot, ICE agent, and Customs and Border Protection officer.
During one trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, Noem—wearing an ICE vest—was mocked for seemingly pointing a gun at an officer’s head.
Yet the DHS leader has defended her various apparel choices.
“I will tell you that I oversee 26 different components of the Department of Homeland Security, and they are so proud of the fact that I’m willing to wear an ICE hat, that I’m willing to wear an HSI vest, that I’m willing to go into there and wear something and be proud of them and the work that they do,” she told Fox News in April. “They didn’t have that with the last leadership team.”
Noem, 53, has made stylized public appearances outside of the country as well. In May, when not visiting U.S. troops in the Middle East and meeting with Israeli officials, she was donning a headscarf and aviators during camel rides.
