WASHINGTON — New Mexico U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez issued a statement Tuesday, calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign.
Fernandez called for the resignation in the wake of an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shooting and killing Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month. She also called out a “growing pattern of abusive enforcement tactics” under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“For the last year, Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, under the leadership of Kristi Noem, has terrorized communities across the country with a violent, authoritarian and chaotic attack on our communities,” Leger Fernández said. “Last week, the entire country saw a clear display of their hateful abuse of force when an ICE agent shot and killed Renée Nicole Good, a loving and kind mother, partner and community member.”
Fernandez called out Noem for her response to the shooting.
“Before any investigation could take place and before the public viewed the multiple videos showing the killing, Kristi Noem declared that the mother — who had her dog in the back seat of the car she was eventually shot in — was engaged in an ‘act of domestic terrorism.’ Noem asked Americans to ignore what we can see with our own eyes,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez called on the Trump administration to conduct a “thorough, objective and impartial” investigation into Good’s death. She also called for action if Noem doesn’t step down.
“If she does not step down, I will support congressional action, up to and including impeachment, to make sure we have accountability at the highest levels of the Department of Homeland Security — not just for Renée Good’s death — but for the pain our cities and towns have suffered under Noem’s direction,” Fernandez said.
Response from New Mexico’s Republican Party
Chairwoman Amy Barela, of the Republican Party of New Mexico issued this statement in response to Fernandez’s comments:
“Our ICE officers are removing criminals from American cities who are all in this country illegally. Democrats are fanning the flames of anti-American, anti-law enforcement propaganda as they are normalizing violence against law enforcement. Democrats, like many in our New Mexico delegation, couldn’t care less about the many families whose lives have been shattered at the hands of illegal immigrants but kick and scream when the same violent illegals are removed from our country. It’s despicable. We stand, unequivocally, with our ICE officers and with Secretary Noem.”