Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lashed out at Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan on Sunday after Brennan publicly identified the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in the controversial Minneapolis shooting that left Renee Nicole Good dead on Jan. 7.
During the heated exchange, Brennan began to reference the agent by name — Jonathan Ross — prompting an immediate and angry interruption from Noem.
“Well don’t say his name,” Noem shot back. “I mean, for heaven’s sakes, we shouldn’t have people continue to dox law enforcement when they have an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against them.”
Noem defended the officer’s actions, calling the shooting a tragedy but insisting that Ross acted in self-defense after being “attacked with a car that was trying to take his life.”
“He got attacked with a car that was trying to take his life, and then people have attacked him and his family, and they are in jeopardy,” Noem said. “We have law enforcement officers every day who are getting death threats, getting attacked at their hotels, and they’re getting ice thrown at them.”
The DHS secretary expressed frustration with what she described as media recklessness and political indifference toward violence against federal officers. “This officer relied on his training to defend his life and to defend those around him,” she said. “We’re grateful that we’re in a situation where we hope that more people don’t weaponize their vehicles like this. We’re seeing it happen over and over again.”
Noem noted that more than 100 vehicles have been used to attack federal officers in the past year, calling it a “disturbing national pattern.”
CBS News’ Margaret Brennan: “Well, let me talk to you about the officer… He was struck. He was hospitalized —”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem: “Don’t say his name. I mean, for heaven’s sakes, we shouldn’t have people continue to d*x law enforcement when they have an 8,000% increase… pic.twitter.com/mbtch0VINU
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) January 18, 2026
She also urged Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to work with President Donald Trump’s administration to restore public safety and allow lawful protest without obstructing ICE operations. “We want people to exercise their First Amendment rights,” Noem said, “but not at the expense of officers’ lives or public safety.”
A YouGov poll conducted between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11 found that 53 percent of respondents believe Ross should face criminal charges for his actions. His whereabouts remain unknown, and DHS has declined to release information about his location, citing “credible threats” to his safety.
Former ICE Director Tom Homan, now serving as Border Czar, told Will Cain Country that Ross and his family have been forced into hiding. “I know for a fact now he has to be in hiding,” Homan said. “There are ‘WANTED’ posters with his picture and his license plate number.”
Video of the incident shows Ross firing multiple times as Good attempted to flee in her SUV. The Department of Homeland Security has classified the case as a domestic terrorism incident, while President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have both publicly defended the ICE agent.
“This officer was protecting himself and others — period,” Trump said earlier this week. “The radicals calling for his prosecution are the same people who want open borders and chaos.”
Good’s family released a statement Wednesday honoring her life, describing her as a “loving and compassionate person.”
“The kind of unending care we’ve been given during this time is exactly the kind that she gave to everyone,” the statement read.
Ross, a 10-year ICE veteran, previously survived another violent attack last summer when an illegal immigrant rammed his vehicle and dragged him more than 50 yards, according to Vice President Vance. He suffered deep lacerations and required more than 30 stitches.
According to DHS records, threats against ICE agents have skyrocketed by 8,000 percent since President Trump took office, a statistic Noem cited in warning that “reckless rhetoric” and “media doxing” are putting officers’ lives in danger.
“This isn’t about politics,” Noem said. “It’s about protecting the people who protect America.”
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