WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Jackie Rosen is calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing that Noem was trying to “mislead the American public” about the shooting death of a 37-year-old protester in Minneapolis.
The call by Rosen, a moderate from Nevada who was part of a group that helped Republicans end the 43-day government shutdown last year, comes amid growing anger from congressional Democrats who have also vowed to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The House resolution to initiate impeachment proceedings against Noem has the support of more than 100 Democrats, but so far few Senate Democrats have participated.
“Kristi Noem has failed spectacularly at leading the Department of Homeland Security over the last year, and the abuses of power we have seen from ICE are the latest evidence that she has lost control of her department and her staff,” Rosen said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Rosen said Noem’s conduct was “disgraceful” and “she must be impeached and removed from office immediately.”
The Republican-controlled Congress is unlikely to launch impeachment proceedings, but growing Democratic anger over violence in the streets of Minneapolis is certain to derail Senate Republican leaders’ hopes this week of quickly approving a broad spending bill and averting a partial government shutdown on January 30.
While some moderate Democrats have been wary of criticizing the Trump administration on border and immigration issues last year, Saturday’s fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 changed the debate, even among moderates like Rosen.
Noem defends fatal shooting
Before senators called for impeachment, Noem offered a quick defense of the Border Patrol agent’s shooting of Pretty without a full investigation. Video from the scene reviewed by The Associated Press appeared to contradict the Trump administration’s statement that Preti shot them “defensively” when he “approached” them with a gun. Preity was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, but all he appeared to be seen in the video was holding a mobile phone.
During the melee, agents discovered he was carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and shot him several times in the back. Officials did not say whether Preti brandished a weapon.
Noem said Pretty’s presence was intended to “impede law enforcement operations.”
“This looks like a situation where one person arrives on the scene to cause maximum harm to an individual and kills a law enforcement officer,” Noem said Sunday.
In calling for Noem’s impeachment, Rosen cited other issues beyond the current ICE actions. Noem also “wasted millions of taxpayer dollars” on self-promotion and “violated the public trust,” she said, citing the Coast Guard’s reported purchase of two of her $172 million luxury jets.
Senate outraged by ICE violence
Rosen’s statement follows that of Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, one of the more left-leaning members of the Senate Democratic caucus. Markey said last week that Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against Noem, “who is now literally on the streets of our country orchestrating this near-lynching campaign of terror against cities across the country by ICE agents.”
While other senators stopped short of calling for Noem’s impeachment, several moderate Democrats who joined Rosen in voting to reopen the government last year said they would vote against DHS funding this week even if it meant shutting down the government.
Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said the Department of Homeland Security is “brutalizing American citizens and law-abiding immigrants.” “We are living in abnormal times,” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said.
While administration officials immediately defended the shooting, some Republicans, including North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, called for a thorough investigation.
House Democrats increasingly support impeachment of Noem
Calls to impeach Noem in the House grew louder as the Democratic caucus held calls with former congressmen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the state’s Attorney General Keith Ellison, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said most House Democrats who spoke at the meeting called for Noem’s impeachment.
New York Rep. Laura Gillen, a Democrat, was one of only seven House Democrats to vote for the Department of Homeland Security last week. “There must be accountability, which is why Secretary Noem must be impeached immediately,” she said Sunday.
“She is not focused on safety or border security; she is focused on chaos and self-promotion, undermining local law enforcement and inciting violence,” Gillen said in a post on X.
___
Associated Press congressional reporter Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
