Congressional Democrats on Wednesday offered up legislation to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, following the killing of Minnesota mother Renee Good by an ICE agent.
The legislation was introduced by Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly, who spoke about the bill at a Capitol Hill news conference. Kelly noted that nearly 70 members of Congress currently back the bill.
“Secretary Noem has brought her reign of terror to the Chicagoland area, L.A., New Orleans, Charlotte, Durham, and communities north to south to east to west,” Kelly said.
Kelly also noted, “Renee Nicole Good is dead because Secretary Noem allowed her DHS agents to run amok.”
ICE agent Jonathan Ross has been identified as the shooter after he fired his gun into Good’s face while she drove her SUV.
Kelly’s bill identifies three main charges against Noem. The first is obstruction of Congress, after DHS blocked members of Congress from conducting oversight at multiple facilities. The second is violation of public trust after agents of the department violated due process laws for American citizens and ignored the Constitution while enforcing President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. The last charge is self dealing in response to Noem directing public expenditures toward companies she or her allies have a direct relationship with.
The filing of impeachment legislation follows days of national outrage about the killing and months of protests in response to abuses against the public by ICE, Border Patrol, and other agencies.
Trump has given his full support to the shooter, arguing that Good deserved to be killed because she was “disrespectful.” But a recent poll from YouGov showed 51% of the public expressing an unfavorable view of ICE while polling from Civiqs revealed an 16-point increase in support for abolishing ICE since a year ago.
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In all likelihood the Republican majority in Congress will block Kelly’s impeachment bill, as the party has repeatedly put itself on the side of the agency and the Trump administration.
But as Noem continues to execute Trump’s bigoted policies, backlash is likely to increase.