Rep. Robert Garcia said impeachment proceedings would soon be launched if U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem doesn’t resign or isn’t fired “in the days ahead.”

The Long Beach Democrat was recently tapped by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to co-lead a possible impeachment inquiry into Noem.

Garcia did not specify a date for when House Democrats would make good on their publicly stated plans, but the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee doubled down on his criticisms of Noem following two fatal shootings in Minnesota this month related to immigration enforcement activities.

“What is happening across this country is unacceptable,” Garcia said, addressing reporters at the Long Beach Civic Center on Friday, Jan. 30. He said Renee Good and Alex Pretti — two U.S. citizens who opposed the Trump administration’s immigration policies and were subsequently shot and killed by federal law enforcement officers — were “murdered by our own government.”

Asked if he believes there are enough votes in the Republican-controlled House and Senate to impeach Noem, Garcia said Republicans often acquiesce to President Donald Trump, but he said some are now speaking out about Noem.

“I would hope that Republican members of Congress would listen to their own independent and Republican constituents that right now are showing us, in polling and other places, that they are also horrified about what’s happening,” Garcia said.

“Kristi Noem should be removed by Congress, and we’re hopeful it will be a bipartisan vote,” he added.

More than 150 members of Congress — all Democrats — had signed onto a House resolution calling for the impeachment of Noem “for high crimes and misdemeanors” as of Friday afternoon.

“The nonfeasance by the Trump administration to rein in ICE’s rogue, inhumane conduct is a betrayal of the American people and our fundamental values. No one is above the law, especially those who are entrusted with enforcing it,” Rep. Derek Tran, D-Orange, said Friday in a news release signaling his support of the impeachment resolution.

Noem has been criticized for describing both Good’s encounter with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and Pretti’s interaction with federal immigration officers at a protest as “domestic terrorism.” Shortly after the second shooting, Noem told reporters that Pretti approached officers with a gun, which videos have since contradicted.

Asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity if her statement had been premature, Noem said Thursday that the situation right after the shooting was “very chaotic” and that she had relied on “the best information we had at the time” from Border Patrol agents and other officers at the scene.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Friday about the House Democrats’ plans to launch impeachment proceedings.

The White House press office, when asked if Trump still supported Noem, referred to comments the president made this week expressing his ongoing support for the DHS secretary.

“I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure,” Trump told reporters.

At the same time, members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have suggested that there be a change in leadership at Homeland Security.

“What she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying. She should be out of a job,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina.

“I think the president needs to look at who he has in place as a secretary of Homeland Security,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “It probably is time for her to step down.”

Locally, two California state lawmakers — both Democrats from Long Beach — joined Garcia during Friday’s news conference in criticizing the aggressive nature of federal immigration enforcement operations under the Trump administration.

Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal said ICE hasn’t made communities safer and calls to abolish the agency aren’t radical.

“What’s radical is maintaining an agency that consistently violates human rights and then acts surprised when trust in government is eroded,” Lowenthal said.

State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, who is co-sponsoring legislation to allow individuals to sue federal agents for alleged constitutional violations, said, “There is no such thing as full immunity.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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