WASHINGTON – Two of the three Arizona Democrats in the U.S. House have joined a push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, an effort that gained momentum since the Jan. 7 killing of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration agent.
The Saturday killing of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti by Border Patrol officers has intensified calls for Noem’s ouster, and for tougher oversight of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
As of Monday, the impeachment resolution had 111 signatures – over half of all House Democrats, though still far short of the number needed.
“She’s an incompetent person,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Phoenix, said recently, before Pretti’s death. “She needs to resign immediately.”
Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Tucson, has also signed onto the impeachment resolution. In early December, she said an “aggressive” Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent pepper-sprayed her in the face during a protest outside a taco restaurant in Tucson where agents were conducting a raid. ICE disputed her claim.
The other Arizona Democrat in the House, Rep. Greg Stanton of Phoenix, has not signed the impeachment resolution. Aides have not responded to questions about whether he supports it, but he joined three other Democratic lawmakers on a letter dated Jan. 14 urging President Donald Trump to fire Noem.
Impeachment requires a simple majority in the House, where Republicans hold a 218-213 edge. Removing Noem from office would then require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said he would eagerly support conviction and removal of Noem. He expressed frustrations about the use of racial profiling by ICE, which along with the Border Patrol report to Noem. In September, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that allows ICE agents to use race as a factor when deciding whether to stop someone.
“There’s a reason why I didn’t vote for her for secretary,” Gallego said.
The proposed articles of impeachment accuse Noem of violating federal law and constitutional protections by ordering warrantless arrests, detention of U.S. citizens and the use of excessive force.
It cites the killing of Good along with the regular use of masked agents and military tactics. It also recounts an incident in Chicago in October, when agents “used tear gas on children having a Halloween parade.” DHS acknowledged the use of “crowd control measures,” saying the officers feared for their safety.
The resolution also accuses Noem of violating federal law by preventing members of Congress from entering immigration detention facilities – a regular complaint from Ansari, among others.
The impeachment resolution also accuses Noem of misusing public funds by directing more than $200 million to a friend’s business for an ICE recruitment ad campaign. DHS has denied wrongdoing.
Over the past year, Noem has been following through on Trump’s promises of tougher immigration enforcement, including a sharp spike in deportations.
The killing of Good in Minneapolis sparked an onslaught of criticism. Democrats say ICE is using overly aggressive tactics and that Trump is provoking violence by sending masked agents into cities.
Ansari, in an interview before Pretti’s death, called the Good killing “the absolute worst-case scenario.”
Noem described Good’s actions as “domestic terrorism” while defending the agent’s use of deadly force in the encounter. Trump, Noem and other administration officials say Good tried to run over the agent before he shot her, though video of the incident shows she was turning away from him and apparently trying to comply with conflicting orders to move her car.
Trump and top aides have similarly defended the Pretti shooting. Federal officials have alleged that Pretti, who had a concealed gun permit, approached federal agents intending to murder as many as possible. But videos of the incident show clearly that he never reached for his concealed gun, with one hand empty and a phone in the other. By the time agents shot and killed him, they had already tackled and disarmed him.
Kelly introduced the impeachment resolution a week after the Good killing.
Ansari acknowledged that Speaker Mike Johnson and most other Republicans reject impeachment but said she’s hopeful some moderate Republicans will join the effort, urging them to “recognize that ICE has gone too far.”
She noted that some Republicans have sided with Democrats at times, including on a recent House vote to reinstate the extension of Obamacare subsidies – the central Democratic demand during the long government shutdown last fall.
“There have been Republicans that have been vocal when it comes to the Epstein files,” she said.
In February 2024, House Republicans impeached Noem’s predecessor, Alejandro Mayorkas, on two counts – failing to enforce federal immigration law and breaching the public trust.
All six Arizona Republicans supported impeachment of Mayorkas, who held the post throughout President Joe Biden’s term. The House approved the effort by a single vote, with all House Democrats and three Republicans opposed.
The allegations never got to trial. In a series of party-line votes, Senate Democrats used their 51-49 majority to dismiss the articles of impeachment on grounds that nothing in the allegations amounted to a high crime or misdemeanor as required by the Constitution.
Five of the six Arizona Republicans who voted to impeach Mayorkas are still in office: Reps. Andy Biggs of Gilbert, Paul Gosar of Bullhead City, Eli Crane of Oro Valley, Juan Ciscomani of Tucson and David Schweikert of Fountain Hills.
Biggs was among the most outspoken supporters of the Mayorkas impeachment, accusing him of losing control of the U.S.-Mexico border and allowing a crisis of illegal migration. He has been an enthusiastic supporter of Noem, praising her for tightening security at the southern border.
Gosar, asked about the possibility of a Noem impeachment, said in a statement provided by an aide that “I fully support ICE and the men and women who enforce our immigration laws. ICE agents enforce laws passed by Congress, often in dangerous conditions, to protect public safety and uphold the rule of law. Attempts to undermine them are reckless, politically motivated, and put lives at risk. We should back law enforcement, enforce the law, and reject efforts to turn public safety into a political weapon.”
This story, originally published Jan. 21, was updated Jan. 26 after a second killing of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis by federal immigration officers.
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