Impeach Secretary Noem

Floor Speech

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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, before my colleague from Texas walks out, I will do whatever I can do to help him because the Chicagoland area is number three.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce I will be impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Secretary Noem has violated the Constitution, and she needs to be held accountable for terrorizing our communities.

Operation Midway Blitz has torn apart the Chicagoland area. President Trump declared war on Chicago, and then he brought violence and destruction to our city and our suburbs in the form of immigration enforcement.

In my district, Federal agents rapelled down from Black Hawk helicopters and burst into an apartment building in the South Shore area. They dragged U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike out of their beds in the middle of the night. They claimed the apartment was infiltrated by members of a Venezuelan gang. I don't understand this President's obsession with Venezuela, but they did not arrest a single member from that gang.

I visited that apartment building and saw firsthand the destruction those agents left. Doors to people's homes or apartments were kicked down. Belongings, including little kids' toys, were strewn about in the hallway. That raid and so many others shook our community, not just immigrants, but everyone.

Now, Secretary Noem has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis after she left Charlotte and Raleigh. We have all seen what happened. An ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in cold blood.

Without knowing any of the facts or an investigation, Secretary Noem lied about what happened. She called a beloved 37-year-old mom a domestic terrorist.

Secretary Noem and her rogue agents are the ones terrorizing our communities, and she is breaking the law to do so. I will hold her accountable, and I am filing three Articles of Impeachment against Secretary Noem.

Number one, obstruction of Congress. Secretary Noem has denied me and other Members of Congress oversight of ICE detention facilities. It is our constitutional duty to find out what is happening in these centers where people are reportedly being treated like less than animals.

Two, violation of public trust. Secretary Noem directed ICE agents to arrest people without warrants, used tear gas against citizens, and ignored due process. She claims she is taking murderers and rapists off our streets, but none of the 614 people arrested during Operation Midway Blitz has been charged or convicted of murder or rape.

Three, self-dealing. Secretary Noem has abused her power for personal benefit. She steered a Federal contract to a new firm run by a friend, her friend. Her propaganda campaign to recruit ICE agents cost taxpayers $200 million.

She made a video that turned the South Shore raid into something that looked more like a movie trailer. Make no mistake, this is not a movie. This is real life, and real people are being hurt and killed.

I really have to wonder who the people are behind the mask. These DHS agents have no identifying factor. From all their botched raids and officer-involved shootings, I have to ask: What is their training like? What is the vetting? Is Secretary Noem recruiting January 6 insurrectionists?

I was one of the last Members of Congress to escape the House gallery on January 6. I remember hiding on my hands and knees and running through the hallways to a safe room. Insurrectionists are not fit to serve as law enforcement.

I realize that the impeachment of Secretary Noem does not bring Renee back. True justice would be Renee alive today, at home with her family. Impeachment doesn't bring back the four other people killed by immigration officers this year, including a man in Chicago. We cannot bring them back to their loved ones. What we can do, though, is impeach Secretary Noem, hold her accountable, and let her know the public is watching.

In this country, we do not kill people in cold blood without consequences. These are not policy disagreements. These are violations of her oath of office, and she must answer for her impeachable actions.

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