A coalition of congressional representatives has taken a bold step by introducing articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The group, led by Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat from Illinois, charges Noem with breaching her oath of office and perpetuating what they describe as a “reign of terror” across American communities.

According to the allegations put forth, Noem is said to have obstructed congressional operations, breached constitutional mandates, and exploited her position for personal benefit. “Secretary Noem has extended her reign of terror to cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, affecting communities all across the nation,” asserted Kelly during a press conference unveiling the impeachment motion. “Her dismissal of these impeachment proceedings as ‘silly’ only underscores her disregard for her responsibilities and our Constitution,” Kelly emphasized.

Adding to her remarks, Kelly addressed Noem directly, stating, “I am watching you, the American people are watching you, and we are not pleased with what we see. If you consider impeachment ‘silly,’ you are not respecting your role or our nation’s founding principles.”

The impeachment resolution meticulously outlines its grievances against Noem. It claims she obstructed Congress by barring representatives from accessing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facilities, a move that allegedly contravenes the stipulations of the 2024 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. Furthermore, Noem is accused of instituting a requirement for congressional members to provide at least a week’s notice before visiting a DHS detention center.

The resolution also cites six instances where representatives were reportedly denied entry to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, an agency under DHS’s jurisdiction. Moreover, Noem faces accusations of withholding funds designated by Congress for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initiatives, actions purportedly in violation of the Impoundment Control Act.

The resolution proceeds to list six alleged examples of representatives being barred from visiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. ICE is an agency under the umbrella of DHS. Noem is also accused of withholding funding allocated by Congress for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs in violation of the Impoundment Control Act.

The representatives also allege that Noem has “repeatedly” violated the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Constitution through “widespread warrantless arrests” by ICE agents, the alleged forgoing of due process, and “violence against United States citizens, lawful residents, and other individuals.”

Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., who co-sponsored the resolution, was scathing in her assessment of Noem’s conduct, saying this “behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it’s a failure of leadership that begins at the top.”

“From Portland to Minneapolis to Chicago, our communities have been used as training grounds for increasingly brazen, militarized federal agents who act without fear of being accountable to the law,” Dexter said. “Under Kristi Noem, oversight has been obstructed, excessive force normalized, transparency abandoned, and due process disregarded. Oregonians have had enough. I am using my authority to hold Kristi Noem accountable for the utter lawlessness she has unleashed on our communities.”

This “utter lawlessness” is typified by an ICE agent’s Jan. 7 fatal shooting of a Minneapolis mother who was driving her vehicle and “attempting to get out of the way of agents,” the resolution says, also naming four other incidents. And they say that “[d]espite video showing” 37-year-old Renee Good moving away from officers in the Minneapolis shooting, Noem “is claiming publicly that the officer was in danger” when he fired the shots.

But Noem has gone even further, the lawmakers allege. She has “misused her position for personal gain while inappropriately using $200 million taxpayer dollars to fund an ad campaign for ICE recruitment,” Kelly claimed, pointing to the awarding of a contract to a nascent firm run by the husband of Noem’s “close friend,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin.

A DHS spokesperson called the impeachment effort “silly,” as Kelly alluded to at her press conference.

“How silly during a serious time,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill, claiming 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.”

Kelly’s office said more than 70 members of Congress have co-sponsored her legislation.

Filing articles of impeachment merely signifies the introduction of formal allegations against a government official for suspected wrongdoing. For an official to be removed from office, the House of Representatives would have to adopt the articles by a simple majority vote, leading to the Senate holding a trial in which two-thirds of senators would have to vote to convict.