An Oregon congresswoman joined another House Democrat in filing articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday.
U.S. Reps. Maxine Dexter of Oregon and Robin Kelly of Illinois filed three articles of impeachment against Noem, a Republican, for “obstruction of Congress,” “violation of public trust” and “self-dealing.”
Dexter and Kelly followed through after vowing last week to pursue impeachment shortly after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a motorist in Minneapolis.
“From Portland to Minneapolis to Chicago, our communities have been used as training grounds for increasingly brazen, militarized federal agents who act without fear of being accountable to the law,” Dexter said in a statement. “This behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it’s a failure of leadership that begins at the top.
“Under Kristi Noem, oversight has been obstructed, excessive force normalized, transparency abandoned and due process disregarded. Oregonians have had enough. I am using my authority to hold Kristi Noem accountable for the utter lawlessness she has unleashed on our communities.”
The impeachment effort is not likely to move forward since Republicans control the House, but Kelly told reporters Wednesday that nearly 70 representatives already supported it and she expected more to get behind it.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security called the impeachment filing “silly” in a statement to The Hill.
“How silly during a serious time,” the spokesperson said. ”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 obstruction article accuses Noem of withholding funds appropriated by Congress and denying members of congress entry to Homeland Security facilities.
The second article alleges that Noem has repeatedly violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, along with the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment. It also accuses her of violating due process by directing ICE to carry out arrests without warrants and use violence against U.S. citizens.
The final article alleges that Noem has misused her position for personal gain and used $200 million in taxpayer money inappropriately to fund an ad campaign for ICE recruitment. It also alleges that Noem bypassed the normal bidding process to award a contract to a firm run by the husband of a senior DHS official.
