Lawmaker says one Trump secretary's days are numbered: 'She does not have a long career'
A Democratic lawmaker Wednesday said that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was not likely to keep her job in the Trump administration.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) told MS NOW anchor Chris Jansing that concerns over Noem's leadership have put her in a tough position among lawmakers. Noem has been testifying before congressional leaders this week in Washington, D.C., where she has faced multiple calls to resign and heated confrontations with several leaders, including longtime Republicans, who expressed their frustration and disappointment with her leadership.
Lawmakers have been critical of Noem's response to disasters and accused her of suppressing FEMA disaster relief funding. They have also called for justice following the death of two American citizens in Minneapolis at the hands of federal law enforcement officers, citing aggressive tactics and unlawful activities under her leadership.
"I think the most important thing, Chris, is that DHS is led by somebody with zero accountability, that ICE and CBP are running wild, killing U.S. citizens, detaining U.S. citizens," Jayapal said. "That's what my question line was about. And locking up people who have committed absolutely no crime — 75% of people that have been detained and are being incarcerated in for-profit jails across the country have committed no crime. And Kristi Noem is a test of failed leadership. That's what I said. That's what I believe. And actually, I think that she does not have a long career here. Her corruption at the agency, combined with the lawlessness of these ICE and CBP agents on display for everyone to see, is going to bring her down."
This is the first time Noem has testified under oath with lawmakers since the deaths of two Minneapolis citizens.
"I think it's been over the last month and a half or so as people have watched the courageous people of Minnesota and really seeing Noem, you know, come out, call Renee Good and Alex Pretti domestic terrorists, refused to conduct investigations until we demanded it, and the people of Minnesota demanded it," Jayapal added. "And I think that trajectory has been very bad. I mean, look, she's done something quite remarkable, which is she has turned 50% of the country against ICE. There was a brand new poll out saying that 50% of people across this country believe that ICE should no longer exist. And I think that's, you know, that's sort of a stunning place to be."
People in the U.S. feel misled by the Trump administration, Jayapal explained.
"But I think what Americans are seeing is that... they thought that this was an administration that was going to go after the worst of the worst, and they happened to know and see the people that are being picked up in their neighborhoods, in their cities," Jayapal added. "They see the militarization of the streets by the federal government. They see children being detained and held in camps and separated from their families, and they don't like it. And so, once again, people are being reminded that we are a nation of immigrants. We do value the immigrants that are in our country. We want a fix to the broken immigration system. Legislatively, we do not want the government to go after all of these people on civil immigration offenses, and we certainly don't want our government militarizing our streets, killing U.S. citizens, and detaining U.S. citizens."