Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE, has come under criticism from local Texas officials for the handling of severe July 4 holiday floods in the Hill Country. Publicly released city communications, including emails and text messages obtained by KSAT, indicate that Kerrville officials were largely unprepared for the disaster.
In one exchange, City Manager Dalton Rice joked about Noem in a text sent hours before a July 5 press conference: “Just saw you met Homeland Barbie. How is she?” Rice replied, “Basically Homeland Barbie,” followed by laughter. Online, Noem has frequently been mocked with nicknames such as “ICE Barbie.”
Democrats have criticized federal preparedness. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut claimed the Trump administration weakened FEMA by firing employees even as flood victims sought help, though he did not directly blame Noem. Noem defended the federal response in an interview on Fox News Sunday, noting that over 700 FEMA employees were deployed quickly and the Coast Guard was dispatched immediately following discussions with Texas officials.
The ICE arrests and the federal response to the Texas flooding have placed immigration enforcement and disaster preparedness under public scrutiny, drawing attention from both sides of the political spectrum.
