Watch CBS News

Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly filing articles of impeachment for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly announced plans to file articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday. 

Kelly made the announcement after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis Wednesday morning. Kelly was also vocally opposed to the federal immigration operations in Chicago dubbed Operation Midway Blitz, which also involved two shootings by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents, one of which was fatal

Kelly released a statement on Wednesday night, saying, "I've had enough." 

"[Noem] has turned ICE into a rogue force, violating the Constitution, tearing families apart, and leaving death in her wake,"  she wrote in part. "From Chicago to Minneapolis, her recklessness cost lives, including Renee Nicole Good. This isn't just dangerous—it's impeachable. I'm fighting back."  

Speaking to CBS News Chicago Thursday morning, Kelly called the shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis "murder" and said she is ready to take action. 

"We just can't sit back, we just can't sit on the sidelines," Kelly said. 

Congresswoman Robin Kelly to file articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem 04:15

Kelly said she will file three articles against Noem; one saying she willfully obstructed congressional oversight and withheld appropriate funds in violation of her constitutional law, a second accusing Noem of compromising the due process of U.S. citizens and directing unconstitutional actions, and a third alleging Noem abused her office for personal benefit and steered federal dollars to associates. 

Kelly said her team has been working on this action since last year and they are ready to go ahead with the filing on Thursday, despite Republicans holding a majority in the House. The effort isn't expected to succeed; even if the impeachment is approved on the House floor with a Republican majority, it would then go to the Senate where it would likely be dead on arrival, similar to the impeachment of then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024. The Senate quickly rejected the charges against Mayorkas, ending a months-long effort by Republicans to punish him for his policies on the southern U.S. border. 

Lawmakers in Illinois and Minnesota swiftly condemned Wednesday's shooting, with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey both calling for federal agents to leave the Twin Cities and the state immediately.

"To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem: You've done enough," Walz said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. "There is nothing more important than Minnesotans' safety."

Frey called the narrative DHS put forth in the immediate wake of the shooting "bull***t" and put his request for agents to leave even more bluntly than Gov. Walz.

"Get the f*** out of Minneapolis," he said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued a statement in solidarity with Minneapolis, and invoked the fatal shooting of 38-year-old undocumented father Silvero Villegas-Gonzalez in Franklin Park last fall.

"Under very similar conditions, in his car, right after dropping his children off at school. And just as they tried to do today in Minnesota, the Trump administration lied about what happened and spewed misinformation in an attempt to distort the public's understanding," Johnson said. "The point of this operation of ICE raids and of this President's rhetoric is to divide us and to dehumanize our neighbors. Do not let them change the part of your soul that sees a fellow human being when you look at your neighbor." 

In the immediately aftermath of the shooting, Noem and DHS claimed the agent shot Good in self-defense, accusing her of domestic terrorism. DHS deployed similar narratives against Villegas-Gonzalez and 31-year-old Marimar Martinez, who was shot by CBP agents after blocking their cars in Brighton Park last fall. Federal prosecutors even secured a grand jury indictment against Martinez for attempting to kill a federal agent before dropping the charges a few weeks later

CBS News Chicago has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment and are waiting to hear back. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue