Congresswoman Ramirez Demands Secretary Noem Resign
Congresswoman Ramirez’s demand that Secretary Noem step down came after a visit to the southern border, where she saw children facing immigration processing without lawyers
Washington, DC— Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) demanded Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem resign immediately, given her abuse of the Department’s power and authority to pursue a campaign of persecution, mass incarceration, and deportation. After a press conference with Congresswomen Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) and human rights advocates, Ramirez sent the letter to the Secretary, outlining the violations of rights and criminal actions Noem has allowed.
“Since your appointment, you have disregarded the authority of Congress, the rule of law, the constitutional rights of residents, the courts, due process, and every check and balance that protects us from authoritarianism,” wrote Congresswoman Ramirez. “Under your supervision, DHS has irreversibly harmed Americans. You have exploited your position to weaponize enforcement to detain, deport, and violate people. Your shameful actions have also left children and women vulnerable and without counsel. You have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars to run anti-immigrant campaigns and illegally detain people in offshore prisons without due process. Your intentional criminalization of immigrants and dissenting voices against your deplorable acts threaten the foundations of our democracy.”
During the press conference that pre-coursed the letter, Congresswoman Ramirez outlined that Americans have paid more than just the human price for Noem’s criminal actions. Taxpayers have also paid $200 million for an anti-immigrant ad campaign, $46 million to illegally detain people in off-shore prisons, and more than $300 million to militarize and end parole and due process at our borders.
In the letter, Congresswoman Ramirez, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, explains that she has tried on multiple occasions to receive answers from Noem, but those efforts have gone unanswered. “I cannot allow you to continue to violate the rights of the people, undermine due process, and misuse our resources. You are one of the greatest threats to our national security,” continued the member.
For the full text of the letter, CLICK HERE
For photos of the press conference, CLICK HERE
For a live of the press conference, CLICK HERE