By David Lightman, McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Reps. Doris Matsui and Mike Thompson want to impeach Homeland Secretary Kristin Noem. So do dozens of other Democrats.
They said Wednesday they’re backing an impeachment resolution in the House led by Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill. It appears highly unlikely it will go anywhere in the Republican-run chamber.
The Democrats’ anger has been building all year, as immigration enforcement agents have used what critics say are strong-arm tactics to find undocumented immigrants. Impeachment backers are particularly outraged by the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Gold by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Minneapolis during an anti-ICE protest January 7.
“Secretary Noem, you have violated your oath of office and there will be consequences,” Kelly told a Capitol news conference Wednesday.
Many Republicans and Trump administration officials have said ICE personnel were acting in self-defense in Minneapolis.
“Our ICE officers are enforcing federal law as the Congress wrote it. The Democrats here don’t like that law, they object to its enforcement, and they are actively encouraging citizens to obstruct its enforcement,” said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, chairman of the House immigration subcommittee.
Nonetheless, Matsui, Thompson and an estimated 70 other House members want to try to oust Noem.
“She’s spearheading a lawless and incompetent campaign of cruelty in our cities, blatantly violating the Constitution and allowing the senseless killing of our neighbors,” Matsui, D-Sacramento, posted on the social media platform X.com.
“She has been a complete and destructive failure as DHS secretary. Our nation demands that our justice system is carried out transparently and in accordance with the Constitution,” she said in a separate post.
Added Thompson, D-St. Helena, “Like so many Americans, I am sickened by ICE’s killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Enough is enough.
“It’s clear that Secretary Noem isn’t just a poor leader — she’s violating the law,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security pushed back hard.
“How silly during a serious time. 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 department said in a statement to The Sacramento Bee.
Could Noem be impeached?
The impeachment drive appears to have little momentum. Even if the House impeached Noem, which would take a majority vote, the Senate would need a two-thirds majority to remove her from office. The House has a 218 to 213 Republican majority, and 53 of the Senate’s 100 members are Republican.
Party leaders have indicated they’d rather keep the focus on affordability.
“We haven’t had a caucus-wide conversation on that issue,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, when asked earlier this week about Noem’s actions.
“Clearly, we’re going to have to explore what accountability looks like as it relates to an out-of-control administration that continues to break the law, violate norms and jam reckless, right-wing extremism down the throats of the American people,” he said.
Rep. McClintock’s view
Republicans have generally supported the ICE action. “What I saw was an ICE vehicle attempting to leave an area that was in a near-riot condition, a civilian vehicle then suddenly moved in front of it to block its departure,” McClintock said. He described what he saw in a lengthy X post.
He watched as “an ICE officer approached that vehicle and issue a lawful order to the driver to get out of the car. Instead of complying with that order, the driver backed up, pointed the car in the direction of another officer, and then shifted into drive…”
Kelly said her effort has been long in the making. At a Wednesday news conference, she said the department has acted improperly as it searches for undocumented immigrants.
“Secretary Kristi Noem is an incompetent leader, a disgrace to our democracy, and I am impeaching her for obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing,” Kelly said.
She has proposed three articles of impeachment:
—Obstruction of Congress: The measure says Noem “willfully obstructed Congressional oversight and withheld Congressionally appropriated funds in violation of her constitutional oath and federal law.”
—Violation of public trust: Noem “compromised public safety, violated due process of American citizens, and directed unconstitutional actions.”
—Self-dealing: Noem “abused her office for personal benefit and steered federal dollars to associates. “
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