Jessica (00:19):
Hey, just want to say hey, it's good to see you. I'm Jessica. I know.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah. How are you?
Jessica (00:21):
Good. How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I'm okay. I'm okay.
Jessica (00:26):
Hanging in there?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah.
Jessica (00:29):
You need anything before the press conference?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I don't think so. I think I'm pretty set. I think I have all the background that I need.
Jessica (00:34):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yeah. Planning a feature in tonight's issue, so I'll keep you posted.
Jessica (00:42):
Okay, great. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
And I'll follow up with that meeting.
Jessica (00:46):
Yes. Yes, of course.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Your video's doing pretty well.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah. On Instagram.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
And everyone's reposting it on Twitter.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Are they? I feel like it's not doing as well.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
A lot of people frequently post it.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
I only saw Eric.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
All the big accounts.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Really? I don't know what, it seemed like... I almost heard they were going to delete because for a long time it wasn't getting anything. It's really weird.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Yeah, no. I mean, I think you'll see where more of the traction is on the other accounts.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
And some of them don't really give us credit, so that's why it's hard to see what our actual stats are.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I know.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Thank you. How you doing?
James (01:48):
How you doing?
Speaker 4 (01:53):
This is my good colleague, Natalie.
James (01:53):
James.
Natalie (01:53):
Nice to meet you.
(01:53)
Yeah. Busy. Same.
(01:53)
Oh, okay. Nice.
(01:53)
Good, good.
(01:53)
Okay, good. Yeah. Yeah.
(01:53)
Okay. Cool.
(01:53)
Awesome.
(01:53)
Great architectures.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
Not me, but just very... Pretty much exactly what I... Yeah.
Speaker 6 (03:43):
Serious?
Speaker 5 (03:49):
Never.
(03:58)
No, I don't think so.
Speaker 7 (04:00):
It's terrible. Probably not.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
I'm telling you. Yeah. Sorry for all the chaos when you were leaving. I was just really stressed because I needed to get out of the house. Yeah. I'm in a very... It's stressful getting out of the house in the morning and then when he's....
Speaker 8 (05:15):
Regardless. Wow. I swear with my hand over my stomach.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
I'm sure other people aren't.
Speaker 8 (05:56):
I'm not not against it. They should have a reason. I'm confident of the legal ground I stand on. Okay. How you doing?
(06:09)
Yeah, I'm good.
(06:13)
Oh, you weren't over there for [inaudible 00:06:54].
(06:54)
Oh, there's Kelly.
(06:54)
Voice of God.
(06:54)
We got her compressed?
Speaker 9 (08:36):
She just walked in.
Speaker 8 (08:37):
Are they all speaking again?
Speaker 9 (08:40):
How many people are on the list?
Speaker 8 (08:41):
Six.
Speaker 9 (08:41):
Four downstairs.
Audience (11:00):
Feel free to use my chair. Are you not going to use it? I'll move if you need it. Don't worry about it. I'm flexible. I gotta go. Heads up.
Rep. Kelly (13:11):
Hello, everyone, and thank you so much for being here today. This morning, I introduced articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. I am proud to have the support of almost 70 members of Congress already from all across the country. Secretary Noem has brought her reign of terror to the Chicagoland area, LA, New Orleans, Charlotte, Durham, and communities north to south to east to west. You'll hear from some of those communities, Minnesota and Portland. She needs to be held accountable for her actions. This is why I introduced three articles of impeachment against Secretary Noem.
(13:49)
Number one, obstruction of congress. Secretary Noem has denied me and other members of Congress oversight of ICE detention facilities. I was denied access to the ICE facility in Broadview despite following Secretary Noem's unlawful seven-day notice requirement. It is our Constitutional duty to find out what's happening in these centers, where inhumane conditions continue to be reported.
(14:15)
Number two, violation of public trust. Secretary Noem directed DHS agents to arrest people without warrants, use tear gas against citizens, and ignored due process. She claims she's taken murderers and rapists off our streets, but none of the 614 people arrested during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago have been charged or convicted of murder or rape. Federal agents rappelled from Black Hawk helicopters and burst through an apartment in the South Shore of Chicago. That was in my district. They dragged people, U.S. citizens and immigrants alike, out of bed in the middle of the night.
(14:56)
Number three is self-dealing. Secretary Noem has abused her power for personal benefit. She steered a federal contract to a new firm run by a friend. Her propaganda campaign to recruit ICE agents cost taxpayers $200 million. She made a video that turned the South Shore raid into something that looked like a movie trailer, but make no mistake. This is not a movie. This is real life, and real people are being hurt and killed. Renee Nicole Good is dead because Secretary Noem allowed her DHS agents to run amok. Families are forever torn apart.
(15:35)
This is not about personalities or trivial disagreements. Secretary Noem has called my impeachment effort silly. I want to tell her right now, Secretary Noem, you have violated your oath of office, and there will be consequences. I am watching you. Members of Congress are watching you. The American people, most importantly, are watching you, and most of all, we are not liking what we're seeing. If you believe impeachment is silly, then you are not taking your job or our Constitution seriously. Now, it is my honor to introduce Congressman Adriano Espaillat from New York's 13th District and Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Rep. Espaillat (16:17):
Thank you, Congresswoman Robin Kelly. I'm proud to join you in introducing these articles of impeachment against Secretary Noem, who has clearly violated the law and the trust of the American people. Thirty-two people have died under DHS custody in 2025, and already four people have died in 2026, along widespread reports of sexual abuse, medical neglect and inhumane conditions, all of this enabled by a broken system. But most importantly, our eyes do not defy us. Our eyes did not lie to us.
(17:13)
We see, as the rest of the world has seen, how women are being violently pulled out of their cars and assaulted, in front of the American people and in front of the eyes of the world, how a woman was shot in the face. As America watched on TV and as the rest of the world watched of this heinous murder, we've seen how not only immigrants, but Green Card holders, TPS recipients, farm workers, and even American citizens, are being stopped illegally, cuffed, detained, and in some cases arrested and deported. I went to Monterrey, Mexico, where I met with four children ... U.S.-born children, American citizens ... that were sent to Mexico with their parents, including a young girl with a chronic cancer condition in her brain that needed immediate medical attention in the hospital in Houston, Texas.
(18:28)
So this is a human rights violation, a blatant human rights violation. This is only seen in aggressive dictatorships across the world, and so that's what we have. This is the Trump dictatorship. Do you think that a dictatorship knocks on your door and gives you a dozen roses when you open it? A dictatorship takes away your rights, your fundamental rights. It creeps up behind you and it assaults you. Eventually, it knocks on your door and shoots you. This is what's happening in America today, and so that's why it is important to hold the Secretary accountable. This is enshrined in our laws and our Constitution. We must exercise our oversight powers.
(19:27)
Congresswoman Velazquez and I went to 26 Federal Plaza, where we were denied entry to an ICE building. Subsequently we went to court, and we had a favorable decision by that court to allow us to exercise our oversight powers. And just recently, Secretary Noem again placed another seven-day notice, so they can prepare themselves and hide the truth before we get there. When we got there, they were mopping the floors. They were cleaning up. They didn't want us to see the dirty conditions. Thirty men in a room with two toilets, one of them broken. A woman right across in another cell that could see each other. No confidentiality at all. This is inhumane and warrants an impeachment proceeding. [Spanish 00:20:24]. I'm sorry. And now, allow me please to introduce Congresswoman Maxine Dexter from Oregon's 3rd District.
Rep. Dexter (20:51):
Thank you so much for joining us today, and thank you to Representative Robin Kelly for meeting this moment with action and moral clarity. I'm Congresswoman Maxine Dexter. I'm a mother, a physician, and the honored Representative for Oregon's 3rd Congressional District. Last week, ICE murdered Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. The very next day, a federal agent shot two people in East Portland, in my district. These are not isolated events. This is part of a pattern of abuse by brazen militarized federal agents, who act without fear of being held accountable to the law. People are being disappeared, people are being assaulted, and now people are being murdered. And when our children and grandchildren ask what we did when our neighbors were being targeted, I cannot sleep unless I can say, "Every single thing we could." That is why I'm helping introduce
Speaker 10 (22:00):
... articles of impeachment remove Kristi Noem from office. We've all seen her crimes play out right before our very eyes. She's willfully obstructed congressional oversight, denying members, as you have heard, of Congress to facilities they have a legal right to conduct oversight at. She's clearly violated public trust with her warrantless arrests, the use of violent force against US citizens, including detaining four US citizen children from my district and being held in a windowless cell at the border near Canada for weeks.
(22:38)
And Kristi Noem has misused her position for personal gain while inappropriately using $200 million, taxpayer dollars to fund an ad campaign to bring in ICE recruitment. These are not the best of the best folks that she's looking for. She is looking for people who are willing to invoke her lawless charade. I'm going to use every opportunity to implore my colleagues across this institution to wake up and join this effort because protecting communities from unaccountable power isn't optional. That is our duty. Courage is contagious. And with that, I'm honored to yield to one of the most courageous among us, Representative Nydia Velázquez.
Nydia Velázquez (23:25):
Thank you. Thank you. Good morning everyone and to all my colleagues here and to Robin Kelly, thank you so much for this action. When the president was running for office for president, he made a place to the American people that he will be the no wars president and yet he's invading sovereign countries like Venezuela. Also sending a message to Cuba, Mexico, Iran, and in our own streets of America has launched war against American citizens. So let's get straight to the point. We are here today because the Department of Homeland Security has been turned into a weapon of political revenge. This agency thinks it's above the law. Kristi Noem has treated the constitution like a suggestion and our communities like a battlefield. I have represented the people of New York for over 30 years. I have seen a lot of presidents, but I have never seen an administration use federal agencies to explicitly punish cities just because they didn't vote for them.
(25:02)
That is exactly what Donald Trump is doing. And Kristi Noem is his willing executioner. In my city, ICE is no longer a law enforcement agency. It's a rogue operation. Masked agents are abducting high school students from their neighborhoods. They are snatching fathers and mothers outside our immigration courts during routine checks, turning places of justice into trials. Even this week, they detained a city council staffer who is here in New York legally. This agency is completely out of control. Every time you see an ICE officer interacting with Americans now, they are screaming, cursing and smashing windows to pull people out of their cars. It is the Wild West out there. And I guess that is why Kristi Noem loves wearing that cowboy hat. The difference is, Ms. Noem, this is not a show.
(26:28)
Lives are on the line. When she bragged about shooting her own dog, she wasn't just telling a story. She was showing us her character and how she might run a government agency. When you give untrained individuals a badge and set them loose, Americans are going to get hurt. Just like we saw last week in the tragic, tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good. And what was Kristi Noem's response? Did she demand an investigation? No. She went on national television and smeared a dead American as a domestic terrorist. The articles we are finding today lay it all out. The obstruction of Congress, the violation of the public trust and the self-dealing. While her agents are out there shooting citizens, Noem is busy funneling hundreds of millions in taxpayers dollars to her friends at agencies through emergency contracts. Kristi Noem has betrayed her oath. She has betrayed the Constitution and she has betrayed the American people. [foreign language 00:27:58], the beacon of hope. Gracias.
Speaker 11 (29:00):
Thank you so much to my colleagues from East Coast to Hawaii for standing with me today, and now I'll open it up for a question.
Speaker 10 (29:11):
Yeah. If I can just ask, obviously, you have many members here. I think you said there's 70 people who have signed on.
Speaker 11 (29:16):
Close to 70.
Speaker 10 (29:17):
Does Leader Jefferies support this effort?
Speaker 11 (29:21):
You'll have to ask the Jefferies, but I would not be standing here if I was told not to do it if there was some.
Speaker 10 (29:30):
So you've spoken to him directly about this?
Speaker 11 (29:32):
Yeah. Our staffs have spoken.
Speaker 14 (29:36):
It was 50 just some time ago at 70 today. Do you anticipate that the majority of the caucus will eventually sign under this effort?
Speaker 11 (29:43):
Yeah, I expect more to sign on. That's what we're doing now, trying to build more sponsors of the legislation. I mean, people joined on quickly. When I put it out there, people contacted me almost immediately and it's been growing and growing and growing as people find out about it.
Speaker 14 (30:02):
And just to follow up to that, have you encountered any resistance from Democrats?
Speaker 11 (30:08):
Not really. I can't say, there's all different kind of people. If you look at who signed up in all different caucuses, as you see right here, there's many different people that have signed on, so no, not really.
Speaker 12 (30:24):
I wanted to ask, why do you think so many folks have signed on? There are a lot of proposals around reigning in ICE, reigning in DHS. Why do you think that impeaching the secretary is something that has rallied so many members of the caucus towards the effort that you're pursuing?
Speaker 11 (30:41):
I just feel like enough is enough. We've been working on this for a little while. This wasn't just a knee-jerk reaction because, of course, they've been in Chicago for so very long. And I know other colleagues are working on other parts and I believe that people will join with those colleagues too, but I just think that people are sick of it and anyone can answer the question because they've signed on.
Nydia Velázquez (31:08):
I could add that public sentiment is everything. We are watching the polls. The American people are upset. They didn't sign on for this. The most fundamental principle and value for the American people is fairness and humane policies, not beating the shit out of people, especially vulnerable women and children.
Speaker 13 (31:41):
Let me just say that while everybody is vulnerable, I can attest to the fact that the Latino community, as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has been disproportionately targeted to the degree that even in Minnesota where there is a clear intent to go after the Somalian community, the vast majority of the people arrested are Latino men. For that reason, I will be going Friday to Minnesota as I went to Chicago for the shadow hearing there. [foreign language 00:32:18]. In New Orleans, the people targeted are workers from Honduras that went to New Orleans to rebuild the city after Katrina. So this is a hit job against Latino communities. And let me tell you, people
Speaker 15 (33:00):
... are regretting. Some folks, many folks are regretting their last vote and turning around. And so I would like to stress that because I think that's an important factor.
Speaker 16 (33:13):
Well, I can just speak to my constituents in Minnesota. We are being terrorized by Homeland Security and ICE and Secretary Kristi Noem's orders in the state of Minnesota right now. And let me be clear. I'm from a swing district in Minnesota. I have been one of the most bipartisan members of Congress that you will find in the Congress. This has crossed a line. Minnesotans, we want safe and secure borders. We want violent criminals to not be in our community, but this is not what we signed up for. This rogue agency is violating the rights of immigrants. It is violating the rights of American citizens in our communities. And last Wednesday, the violation of those rights, the escalation by ICE in our communities, got Renee Good killed. And now this administration is going after her widow and going after her and six US attorneys who, by the way, are patriots in Minnesota at the US Attorney's Office had said, "No, we are not this. This is not who we are as Minnesotans. This is not who we are as Americans."
(34:41)
And so I believe you will continue to see members of Congress from across the ideological spectrum, stand up, speak out, because we know the difference between right and wrong. And Americans can see with their own eyes that what's happening in Minnesota and in Illinois and most possibly coming to New York is just plain wrong.
Speaker 20 (35:05):
Thank you.
Bonnie Watson Coleman (35:08):
Americans across this country have been protesting what they see with their own eyes and the lies that they're told, which are belied by the things that they're seeing. What they're looking... They're out there protesting and they expect Congress to use every tool that we have to push back, to hold accountable, and to show the American people that we are fighting for this democracy, for constitutional laws, and for treatment and respect of all of our communities. So that happens to be a time when you had the horrible situation in Minnesota. We've had the horrible situation in other cities. This particular resolution comes just at a time when enough is enough is enough. And people are looking to us to do everything we can to show that we have responsibility in this space.
Speaker 11 (36:10):
Also, I wanted to say that I've gotten phone calls that I know my colleagues have too, from constituents, but from people from across this country. I do not represent people in different states encouraging what we're trying to do. The other thing is, you asked me about Leader Jeffries, that we have concentrated so much on the cost, affordability and healthcare. And I never want to detract from that. But when you think about it, and we work with many different people and committees, but this is affecting people's healthcare. This is affecting affordability. When I think about Chicago and people afraid to go to work, when I think about restaurants that don't have as many people coming to eat there, when I've heard stories about people afraid to go to the doctor, afraid to take care of their health, because they're afraid to come outside. I had a town hall meeting at a grocery store and people told me stories how they're just simply afraid to go outside, whether it's shopping, whether it's going to work, whether it's going to their healthcare needs. So this is affecting... It's widespread. It's widespread. I'm not good at this.
Speaker 17 (37:29):
When you think about impeachment, obviously there's a numbers game that's involved with that. If you put the merits of your resolution aside and think about just that numbers game of getting passage in the House and conviction in the Senate, is this more about sending a political message right now or previewing the playbook for Democrats should you take back the majority? Or what's sort of the impetus is just striking the moment with current events?
Speaker 11 (37:52):
You know, for me, and others can answer, it was like Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said, "Enough was enough." And I just feel like we need to use every tool in our toolbox. If we do nothing, nothing will happen. And so just really now trying to build on momentum, getting as many people signed on as possible, that's the first step.
Speaker 18 (38:14):
If I can just add, we cannot be cynical at this moment. We have to stand up for our country and if we are cynical that nobody's going to join or we're not going to get it passed, nothing happens. And we proved that with the ACA extended premium tax credit extension. People thought that there was no way that we would pass that in the house and we have to continue to message the right. The American people can see what's happening is wrong. They want us to act. I had a town hall in less than 24 hours where standing perpetual applause for impeaching Kristi Noem. The people want us to do something and that's our job.
Speaker 19 (38:55):
You talk about using every tool in the toolbox. If this effort does not gain enough momentum, what other options are House Democrats considering? There's been a lot of talk of defunding ICE through the appropriations process, also abolishing ICE. What options are on the table?
Speaker 11 (39:13):
Well, actually I think at this point all options are on the table. We just have to see what's going to work and we have to have more discussion around it. But yes, I've heard conversation around that too. But those are all tools in the toolbox that we have to look to. Maybe I'm an optimist, but I'm hoping against hope that when she sees, as people have talked about the momentum, the public, the polls that are so much against what she's doing, that she will realize that she's a public servant and that she's serving the American people and the American people do not like what she's doing or what they're seeing.
Speaker 21 (39:52):
Thank you. The situation in Portland's been brought up. When we talk about this, DHS side of the story is that the individual involved driving the car was a member of Tren De Aragua or believed to be a member of Tren De Aragua. They're alleging that the driver weaponized their vehicle against law enforcement. Is it okay to be lumping these cases together, consider that Renee Nicole Good was not a member of a gang, and does that hurt the effort at all?
Speaker 18 (40:24):
What I'll just say is that the first and foremost issue is that people have rights. Due process is available and a right to every single person in this country. You do not become the executioner because somebody is driving away. And that is absolutely a principle that our law enforcement in Portland has really been very intentional about rebuilding trust in the public right now. So these sorts of lawless activities undermine trust with our public officials, our law enforcement agencies that really are doing the right thing. So I think it's important that people get their day in court, that they are prosecuted if they are criminals. This is the same issue when Abrego Garcia was taken to El Salvador. It is a right to be able to prove your innocence or be found guilty in a court. And that is what these folks are not getting.
Speaker 11 (41:16):
And even though you differentiated with Renee Good, they still called her domestic terrorists. Thank you guys so much.
Speaker 21 (41:24):
Thank you.
Speaker 20 (41:24):
Thank you.