House Democrats Move to Impeach Noem Over Deadly ICE 'Reign of Terror'

Citing the deadly "reign of terror" unleashed by President Donald Trump's immigration enforcers against both migrants and US citizens, a Democratic congresswoman on Wednesday formally introduced articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois filed three articles of impeachment against Noem for alleged obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing. The move—which Kelly first announced on January 7— followed last week's killing of Renee Nicole Good, an American citizen, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis.

"Secretary Noem has brought her reign of terror to the Chicagoland area, LA, New Orleans, Charlotte, Durham, and communities north to south to east to west,” Kelly told reporters at a Wednesday press conference. “She needs to be held accountable for her actions."

Speaking on the House floor earlier, Kelly said that "Operation Midway Blitz has torn apart the Chicagoland area."

During the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation, ICE agents shot and killed Silverio Villegas González and then allegedly lied about the victim's behavior in a bid to justify the killing. Federal enforcers have attacked protesters and bystanders with tear gas, pepper balls, flash-bang grenades, and other weapons during Midway Blitz and other operations across the country.

"President Trump declared war on Chicago and then he brought violence and destruction to our city and our suburbs in the form of immigration enforcement," Kelly said.

"In my district, federal agents rappelled down from Blackhawk helicopters and burst into an apartment building in the South Shore area," the congresswoman continued. "The dragged US citizens and noncitizens alike out of their beds in the middle of the night."

"They claim the apartment was infiltrated by members of a Venezuelan gang. I don't understand this president's obsession with Venezuela, but they did not arrest a single member from that gang," she added, alluding to Trump's illegal attacks on the South American country and abduction of its president and his wife.

Moving on to Minneapolis, Kelly said that "an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in cold blood."

"Without knowing any of the facts or an investigation, Secretary Noem lied about what happened," the congresswoman said. "She called a beloved 37-year-old mom a 'domestic terrorist.' Secretary Noem and her rogue agents are the ones terrorizing our communities, and she is breaking the law to do so. I will hold her accountable."

Kelly's articles of impeachment accuse Noem of:

• Obstructing Congress by refusing to allow lawmakers into federal immigration facilities and withholding congressionally designated disaster relief funds from states that refused to cooperate with Trump's crackdown;
• Violating public trust by denying people detained by ICE their due process as guaranteed under the Constitution; and
• Self-dealing by allegedly giving $220 million in contracts to a business run by the husband of her spokesperson.

"These are not policy disagreements," Kelly said during her House floor remarks. "These are violations of her oath of office, and she must answer for her impeachable actions."

As of late Wednesday morning, more than 70 House Democrats had signed on as co-sponsors of the effort.

"I’ve signed on to impeach Secretary Noem," Rep. John Larson of Connecticut said on X. "She must be held accountable for her corruption and her attacks on the Constitution. She’s hypercharged ICE’s lawlessness and cheered as it has terrorized our communities. She has to go."

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, who also joined the impeachment effort, said that Noem's "malicious and incompetent leadership has led to chaos across the nation."

Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania said on X: "People are being hunted. Families torn apart. A woman was just shot in the face. And DHS seem to think it's acceptable. It's past time to impeach Kristi Noem."

A DHS spokesperson called the impeachment effort "silly."

"As ICE officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, Rep. Kelly is more focused on showmanship and fundraising clicks than actually cleaning up her crime-ridden Chicago district,” the spokesperson said. “We hope she would get serious about doing her job to protect American people, which is what this department is doing under Sec. Noem.”

The effort to impeach Noem came after state and city officials in Minnesota and Illinois on Monday sued the Trump administration in a bid to block federal forces “from conducting civil immigration enforcement” without “express congressional authorization.”

“People are being racially profiled, harassed, terrorized, and assaulted,” Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said earlier this week. “Schools have gone into lockdown. Businesses have been forced to close. Minnesota police are spending countless hours dealing with the chaos ICE is causing. This federal invasion of the Twin Cities has to stop, so today I am suing DHS to bring it to an end.”