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Press Release
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Must Be Impeached and Removed, Says Nonpartisan Government Watchdog
Congress must hold the Department of Homeland Security accountable for trampling on our constitutional rights.
Washington, D.C. — Following Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s deeply concerning appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), a nonpartisan government watchdog, joined bipartisan calls for Congress to impeach and remove Secretary Noem from the top spot at DHS.
Under Noem’s leadership, the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly disregarded the Constitution in the name of immigration enforcement, from disappearing people from American soil without due process to terrorizing law-abiding peaceful protestors and legal observers. Today’s hearing only underscored that, under Secretary Noem, DHS has become completely unaccountable to the American people. David Janovsky, acting director of The Constitution Project at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), issued the following statement:
“Just over a year ago, Secretary Noem took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Since then, we have seen her and the department she oversees consistently violate that solemn oath — a betrayal of her office and of the American people.
“As an organization dedicated to rooting out government malfeasance and defending the Constitution, we do not take calls for impeachment lightly. They should be a last resort, when it is clear that an official can no longer uphold their oath of office. Secretary Noem’s actions leading the Department of Homeland Security, and the grave impact they have had on communities across the country, make it clear that her impeachment and removal are warranted.
“Again and again, Noem’s DHS has violated the Constitution — at times, against explicit court orders — endangering anyone who steps foot on American soil, regardless of immigration status. This has included harassing and arresting peaceful protestors and lawful observers, empowering agents to enter homes without judicial warrants, improperly detaining legal residents, blocking Congress from conducting oversight at ICE facilities, sending people to an infamous prison in El Salvador without due process, and more.
“Allowing immigration agents to operate above the law has had deadly consequences. At least six people have been killed and twice as many injured in shootings by ICE agents since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term. Following the fatal shootings of both Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by her own agents, Secretary Noem falsely smeared both victims as ‘domestic terrorists.’ And now, the administration is preventing an impartial investigation into these killings.
“No public official — and especially none of those tasked with keeping our country safe — should prioritize a political agenda over their constitutional responsibilities.
“Particularly now that we are involved in an illegal war in the Middle East and could face heightened threats to the homeland, we need a leader at DHS who takes her oath to the Constitution seriously.
“It’s time for Congress to step in. If we want DHS to be accountable to the people and to the Constitution, it’s clear that Secretary Noem must be impeached and removed.”
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