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By Andrew Stanton
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A handful of Democratic senators are backing calls to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin responded to calls to impeach Noem in a statement to Newsweek.
"DHS enforces the laws Congress passes, period. If certain members don’t like those laws, changing them is literally their job. While ICE officers are facing a staggering 1,300% spike in assaults, too many politicians would rather defend criminals and attack the men and women who are enforcing our laws and did nothing while Joe Biden facilitated an invasion of tens of millions of illegal aliens into our country. It’s time they focus on protecting the American people, the work this Department is doing every day under Secretary Noem’s leadership," she wrote.
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Why It Matters
Representative Robin Kelly, an Illinois Democrat, introduced articles of impeachment against Noem after the January 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good, also a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis. That effort gained new support after Pretti became the second U.S. citizen to be fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis. Noem has defended the agent’s actions, but other Republicans as well as Democrats have called for a full investigation.
Impeachment will face an uphill battle in the GOP-controlled House and even steeper odds in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required for conviction and removal from office. That means any conviction would require significant support from Republicans.
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What To Know
Kelly’s impeachment articles have at least 140 co-sponsors in the House. Her resolution would impeach Noem for obstruction of justice, violating the public trust and self-dealing. Her articles accused her of directing ICE to “make widespread warrantless arrests, forgo due process, and use violence against United States citizens, lawful residents, and other individuals.”
Democratic senators have been broadly critical of Noem, with a few saying the House should impeach her.
Todd Belt, director of the Political Management Program at George Washington University, told Newsweek impeachment is not likely with the current makeup of Congress.
"It probably won't make it out of committee, especially since Trump reiterated his support for her and Republican members are deferential to him. Even if it would make it out of the House, there would never be enough votes in the Senate for conviction and removal," he said.
The political benefit for Democrats is that it "gives them something to show that they are standing up to the administration," he said.
"They have taken a lot of criticism for their inability to stop the administration or even slow it down," he said.
Here is a look at which Democratic senators have called for Noem’s impeachment:
Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland
Alsobrooks told Newsweek in a statement she supports impeaching Noem.
“Her masked men killed two Americans. Of course she should be impeached. Of course she should be fired. Of course she should resign in disgrace," she said.
Ed Markey, Massachusetts
Markey said on MS Now that he believes Congress should impeach Noem.
“No funding for ICE,” he said. “We just have to absolutely draw the line and not only say no funding for ICE. But we should begin an impeachment proceeding of Kristi Noem, who is right now actually orchestrating on the streets of our country this almost vigilantism on the part of ICE agents terrorizing cities all across the country.”
Alex Padilla, California
A Padilla spokesperson told Newsweek the senator believes Noem "should be impeached."
"He has repeatedly called on the Secretary to resign and believes she should have never been nominated and confirmed in the first place. The chaos and terror she has overseen in American cities along with her recent lies about the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good only further underscore the Senator’s belief that she is not up for the job," the spokesperson said.
Jacky Rosen, Nevada
Rosen confirmed to the Associated Press that she supports impeaching Noem.
“Kristi Noem has been an abject failure leading the Department of Homeland Security for the last year—and the abuses of power we’re seeing from ICE are the latest proof that she has lost control over her own department and staff,” she told AP.
Rosen said Noem’s conduct is “deeply shameful,” calling for her to be “impeached and removed from office immediately.”
Her comments are notable because she represents a state that narrowly backed Donald Trump last year. Nevada, which had last voted for a Republican president in 2004, gave Trump a 3-point victory in the 2024 presidential race.
In a statement to Newsweek, Rosen said Noem "violated the public trust by wasting millions in taxpayer dollars to put herself in advertisements, buy two expensive luxury jets, and give government contracts to firms with ties to her political operations, all while terrorizing American communities."
"Kristi Noem and her department’s latest attempt to mislead the American public regarding the brutal and unjustified killing of Alex Pretti is deeply shameful, and she must be impeached and removed from office immediately," she said.
Peter Welch, Vermont
Welch said on MS Now’s Ana Cabrera Reports on Monday that he would support impeachment efforts against Noem.
“I would [support impeaching Noem], if that’s what it took," he said. "But she should resign. I mean, she is a real problem because what she’s doing is turning the function of immigration and enforcement away from enforcement and into being kind of a shock troop that goes into cities and acts with impunity. She’s blown the job. We need immigration enforcement, but that’s not what she’s doing—it’s mass intimidation.”
Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Van Hollen said he believes Noem should be impeached in a statement to Newsweek.
"Kristi Noem is one of the Trump Administration’s chief enablers of ICE’s and CBP’s lawless, violent and abusive tactics. And by blatantly lying to the public to cover up for unjustified killings and state executions, she is fully complicit in these heinous acts. This is dangerous and outright unacceptable behavior – and she should resign immediately or be impeached," the Maryland Democrat said.
Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts
Warren backed impeachment for Noem in a video posted to X.
“We need a full, independent investigation and all wrongdoing held to account to the fullest extent of the law,” she said. “The victims of this violence deserve justice. As I’ve said before, Kristi Noem should resign. And if she doesn’t, Congress should impeach her and remove her from office. In America, we still believe in accountability—not lies.”
Other Democrats Call For Noem’s Resignation
Other Senate Democrats have called on Noem’s resignation but have not gone as far as to support impeachment.
“Public servants must be held to the highest standards. Under Secretary Noem, federal agents have torn families apart and gunned down citizens in the street. Rather than take responsibility, Secretary Noem has spread dangerous misinformation and raised tensions. She should resign,” Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Delaware Democrat, wrote in a statement to Newsweek on Tuesday.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on Monday called for Noem to be “fired.”
“Kristi Noem is a liar. Kristi Noem is incompetent. Kristi Noem is vicious. Kristi Noem must be fired,” he wrote to X.
Senator Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, wrote in a statement to Newsweek: "Kristi Noem lied about what we all saw with our own eyes. She needs to go. Immediately.”
What People Are Saying
A DHS spokesperson previously told Newsweek: "How silly during a serious time. 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. We hope she would get serious about doing her job to protect American people, which is what this Department is doing under Secretary Noem.”
Representative Robin Kelly, an Illinois Democrat, during a press conference this month: "Renee Nicole Good is dead because Secretary Noem allowed her DHS agents to run amok. Families are forever torn apart. This is not about personalities or trivial disagreements. Secretary Noem has called by impeachment effort 'silly.' I want to tell her right now, Secretary Noem, you have violated your oath of office, and there will be consequences."
Representative Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democrat, previously told Newsweek: “In terms of Kristi Noem, she's an accomplice at this point with Donald Trump. Clearly, she's lawless when it comes to the constitutional rights of U.S. Citizens, of our nation's immigrants, and she's violating the law by prohibiting members of Congress from performing their jobs.”
What Happens Next
No Republicans have expressed support for impeaching Noem, dimming its prospects in the House and Senate. If Democrats reclaim control of the House in the midterms, they could impeach her next year. Even then, a Senate conviction would require substantial GOP support because of the two-thirds vote requirement.
Update 1/27/26, 4:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 1/28/26 9:27 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the Department of Homeland Security.
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