Congresswoman Escobar Announces Support for Impeachment of Kristi Noem

Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) released the following statement:

The entirety of Kristi Noem's tenure at DHS has marred by the trampling of the department's stated values of "integrity, vigilance, and respect."

Americans across the country have witnessed ICE and Border Patrol Agents in masks racially profiling Americans, using aggressive and often violent tactics against communities, destroying property, and violating people's civil rights. Guns have been pointed at protestors, and under Sec. Noem's "leadership," eight people have been shot by DHS, 5 of whom were U.S. citizens, and two were killed. One of those killings happened in Minneapolis last week, when an ICE agent shot and killed a mother of three. Instead of ensuring accountability and transparency would be at the center of a joint investigation with state officials, Noem immediately defended the agent, lied about what Americans saw for themselves, and attacked the victim.

At the same time, Secretary Noem has sought to deny Members of Congress access to federally-funded immigration detention facilities, blocking important oversight, especially of privately-run facilities. Her agency has been slow and frequently unwilling to respond to casework inquiries, and she has established a pattern of ignoring Congress in order to obscure what is happening within her agency from the American public. In 2025, 32 people died in ICE detention while she flew around the country for photo ops.

On her watch, DHS violates court orders, fails to hold private contractors accountable, and engages in blatant corruption. She has protected agents who have used excessive force, encouraged antagonism instead of deescalation, and has ignored well-established norms for accountability.

Secretary Noem has weaponized a powerful federal law enforcement agency to create an environment of fear and intimidation across communities in America. She has been untruthful, created a poisonous culture inside DHS, and made America less safe.

Americans should not have to live in fear of their own government.

I support the impeachment of Kristi Noem.