On January 7, a DHS officer killed Renee Good. On January 24, another killed Alex Pretti. In both cases, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem rushed to publicly label the victims as domestic terrorists. In both cases, video footage contradicted her and showed instead that her DHS agents needlessly shot and killed American citizens exercising their constitutional rights. Americans across the political spectrum are watching, and we are deeply alarmed.
Noem’s agents have been deployed in American cities with the avowed mission of identifying and removing undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crimes. Instead, under her leadership, those agents are perpetrating a campaign of terror and violence against Americans.
Renee Good was a 37-year-old mother. Noem alleged that Good tried to “ram [ICE officers] with her vehicle.” Video of the shooting showed Good turning her car away from the officer when he opened fire. Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a VA hospital. Video shows him being fatally shot while pinned to the ground by multiple federal agents. Noem rushed to claim that Pretti went to the scene to “kill law enforcement.” She had no evidence at the time she made these statements that this was Pretti’s intent. And no such evidence has come to light since.
Real-time, bystander video footage is the only reason we know what actually happened in either death. Noem’s rendering of events after each shooting was irresponsible and wrong. As the nation’s highest-funded law enforcement agency, ICE requires a leader who can ensure the agency carries out its duties in compliance with the law. Noem is not that leader.
The violence committed by DHS under Kristi Noem has been catastrophic and must end. Her callous lies and irresponsible leadership demonstrate that she is unfit to serve. If Secretary Noem does not voluntarily resign, the United States Congress must impeach her immediately.
— Concerned Americans