At least eight more Democrats signed onto Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly’s impeachment resolution against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the weekend, the latest fallout from a fatal shooting involving a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, a spokesperson for Rep. Kelly’s office confirmed to NOTUS.
The eight Democrats who decided to sign onto the resolution following the shooting include Reps. Debbie Dingell, Laura Gillen, Lizzie Fletcher, Troy Carter, Gregory W. Meeks, Sam Liccardo, Marilyn Strickland, and Kathy Castor.
Gillen was one of seven Democrats who voted with Republicans on Thursday to pass a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security, a move that drew widespread criticism from many Democrats. Following Saturday’s shooting, a number of Senate Democrats have pledged to vote “no” on the measure, which would keep ICE funded at $10 billion for the fiscal year.
“To restore order and accountability at DHS and guarantee safety in our communities, Secretary Noem must be impeached,” Gillen said in a statement to NOTUS. “The tragic killings of Americans by federal agents make it clear that Noem’s removal from office is urgent and necessary, as she continues to disregard the law and make no attempt to de-escalate violence across the country.”
Trending
Rep. Robert Garcia, another signatory to the impeachment resolution, also called for Congress to “abolish ICE” in a fiery statement Saturday. “Not one vote from Senate Democrats for DHS funding,” he added.
Kelly announced her plans to file the impeachment resolution, which now stands at 121 signatures, on Jan. 7 — just hours after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross shot and killed another woman, 37-year-old Renée Good, in Minneapolis.
“From Chicago to Charlotte to Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Secretary Noem is violating the Constitution while ruining—and ending—lives, and separating families,” Rep. Kelly said at the time. “It’s one thing to be incompetent and dangerous, but it’s impeachable to break the rule of law.”
Calls for Noem’s impeachment have grown in recent weeks as President Trump’s aggressive mass deportation campaign grows, with massive surges of immigration agents into Maine and Minneapolis, where multiple people have now been shot and killed by federal officers.
While more than half of the House Democratic caucus has now called for Noem’s impeachment, few Senators have publicly joined the effort.
But as the push gained steam Sunday evening, Sen. Jackie Rosen of Nevada, one of the Democrats that worked with Republicans to negotiate an end to the shutdown in October, called for Noem’s impeachment.
“Kristi Noem has been an abject failure leading the Department of Homeland Security for the last year,” Rosen said in a statement to the Associated Press. “The abuses of power we’re seeing from ICE are the latest proof that she has lost control over her own department and staff.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Rep. Robert Garcia signed the impeachment resolution before Saturday’s shooting.
Author
