Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Two Pasadena Congresswomen On Wednesday Will Call for the Impeachment of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem show testifying before a Senate budget subcommittee in May, 2025. [Shutterstock/Shedrick Pelt]

Reps. Friedman and Chu will join colleagues in Los Angeles demanding accountability for ICE killings in Minneapolis

Two congresswomen who represent Pasadena will join colleagues Wednesday at a Los Angeles press conference calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.

Rep. Laura Friedman, whose 30th Congressional District includes parts of Pasadena, and Rep. Judy Chu, whose 28th Congressional District includes Pasadena and Altadena, are both cosponsors of H.Res.996, the House resolution seeking Noem’s removal. They will be joined by Reps. Brad Sherman of the 32nd District and Gil Cisneros of the 31st District at 11:00 a.m. at Pan Pacific Park, 7600 Beverly Boulevard., in Los Angeles.

The event comes four days after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents on January 24. Pretti was a U.S. citizen with a lawful permit to carry a firearm. Videos of the incident appear to contradict federal officials’ claims that Pretti “approached” officers with a weapon and “attacked” them; multiple news organizations reported that footage shows Pretti being pepper-sprayed and wrestled to the ground by agents before being shot.

Pretti’s killing was the second by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month. On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, as she sat in her car on a residential street during a federal immigration operation.

DHS Secretary Noem defended the agents’ actions in both cases, claiming Pretti arrived at the scene “to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.” Pretti’s family said they were “sickened” by the characterization.

The impeachment resolution, introduced by Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois on January 14, has gained the support of 142 House Democrats—two-thirds of the party’s caucus—as of Monday. However, the effort has no realistic chance of passage in the Republican-controlled House, where the GOP holds a 218-213 majority.

“Proud to join Rep. Kelly in introducing Articles of Impeachment against Kristi Noem — the worst Cabinet Secretary America has ever had,” Rep. Sherman said in a statement when he signed on as an original cosponsor. “She’s abusing power. Ignoring the law. And turning ICE into a domestic terror organization.”

Rep. Cisneros, who joined the resolution Monday, wrote that “Secretary Kristi Noem’s willful misconduct is violating the constitution and federal law and putting every single one of us in danger.”

Chu has been directly involved in immigration cases affecting her Pasadena and Altadena constituents, including interventions for residents detained by federal agents. Last year, she led a congressional delegation that was denied entry to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center despite federal law guaranteeing congressional access for oversight purposes.

“Regardless of immigration status, everyone has a right to due process,” Chu said at the time. “We need answers now.”

The three articles of impeachment allege that Noem obstructed Congress by denying lawmakers access to ICE facilities, violated public trust through warrantless arrests and due process violations, and engaged in self-dealing by awarding a contract to a firm run by the husband of a senior DHS official.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the department enforces laws passed by Congress, adding that “if certain members don’t like those laws, changing them is literally their job.”

The press conference is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 28 at Pan Pacific Park, 7600 Beverly Boulevard.

Senate Democrats have said they will block the DHS funding bill until guardrails are placed on ICE operations, with a government shutdown deadline of January 30.