NEWSWEEK: Exclusive: Angie Craig on Impeaching Trump ‘Accomplice’ Kristi Noem
Minnesota Representative Angie Craig, a Democrat, told Newsweek in an interview why she believes Congress should impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Why It Matters
Minnesota has found itself at the center of the ongoing debate about immigration following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent earlier in January. The shooting has drawn increased scrutiny toward ICE amid President Donald Trump’s heightened immigration enforcement. Protests have erupted in Minneapolis, and videos have spread across social media, raising further concerns about the agency.
What To Know
Tensions in Minnesota continued to grow over the weekend, with reports indicating that 1,500 troops have been placed on standby for potential deployment amid protests. ICE critics have protested the administration’s hardline approach to immigration and the tactics deployed by the agency.
As the country looks to Minnesota, Craig, who represents a suburban seat outside of Minneapolis that she flipped from Republicans in the 2018 midterm election, told Newsweek that Congress must impeach Noem over ICE’s actions in Minnesota.
“DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is out of control and is not following the law. She's not following the law. Her agents aren't following the law as they are, you know, detaining immigrants in our community, detaining U.S. citizens in our community and not following the law in allowing duly elected members of Congress to perform our congressional oversight jobs here in Minnesota,” Craig said.
Craig, along with fellow Minnesota Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar and Kelly Morrison, attempted to visit an ICE facility near Minneapolis earlier in January but were blocked from doing so.
“In terms of Kristi Noem, she's an accomplice at this point with Donald Trump. Clearly, she's lawless when it comes to the constitutional rights of U.S. Citizens, of our nation's immigrants, and she's violating the law by prohibiting members of Congress from performing their jobs,” Craig said.
Craig’s district remains closely divided between Democrats and Republicans. She is now seeking the open Senate seat vacated by Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat who announced that she will retire at the end of the current term. Craig is facing Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan in the Democratic primary.
Democrats in Congress are working to push back against ICE. Representative Robin Kelly, an Illinois Democrat, introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
The impeachment effort may face an uphill battle in Congress for now, as Republicans still hold a narrow majority and have remained generally supportive of Noem and ICE. However, Democrats are hopeful about their chances of retaking control of the House of Representatives in November; the Senate may be a tougher lift due to the challenging map they face.
Craig said she is not confident her Republican colleagues will vote in support of impeachment.
“I’ve never seen a more spineless group of people in my life than today's Republican Party, so I have very little confidence that my colleagues are going to stand up and do the right thing in almost every instance,” she said. “We're going to have to use democracy to save democracy in this country. “
The Department of Homeland Security has dismissed impeachment efforts.
“How silly during a serious time. As ICE officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, Rep. Kelly is more focused on showmanship and fundraising clicks than actually cleaning up her crime-ridden Chicago district. We hope she would get serious about doing her job to protect American people, which is what this Department is doing under Secretary Noem,” a DHS spokesperson previously told Newsweek.
Craig described the administration’s actions in Minnesota as “political retribution.”
“We’re also heartbroken by the fact that our neighbors, black and brown neighbors, to be absolutely specific, are being profiled and targeted by the federal government and federal agents,” she said.
Craig is hearing from both Democratic and Republican constituents concerns that ICE is “out of control,” she said.
Rep. Craig on ‘Abolish ICE’ Calls
Craig said that significant changes are needed for ICE, such as prohibiting agents from wearing masks, requiring them to wear body cameras and preventing them from targeting schools, churches and day cares. But the Minnesota congresswoman said there is still a need for border security in the U.S.
Craig said Congress must “rethink how this agency is set up and the parameters for which it operates.”
“Trump’s ICE is dangerous and it is lawless and Trump's ICE must go,” she said. “But we need border security in this country.”
Calls for the abolition of ICE have grown following Good’s death. A YouGov poll found that support for the proposal has surged, but not all Democrats are on board. The centrist group Third Way released a memo pushing back on calls to dismantle the agency, warning it is “lethal” politically.
Proponents of abolishing ICE view it as a rogue agency whose immigration enforcement can be handled by other arms of the federal government. Many centrists have said the agency should be reformed rather than completely abolished.
Rep. Craig Says She Won't Vote to Give ICE 'One Penny'
ICE funding is a sticking point for Democrats as Congress considers a series of appropriations bills to fund the federal government. Some Democrats are drawing a red line on ICE funding, arguing they will not support any bill that allocates new funds to ICE.
Craig said she would not vote to give “one penny” to ICE as long as they are “rogue actors.”
Republicans have offered some concessions, such as funding for body cameras for ICE agents, Politico reported. Craig said that would not change her vote.
“Does anybody think Kristi Noem and Donald Trump are going to follow the law, even if we pass one? They're not. When they start following the laws of this land as it relates to immigration enforcement, then I'll look at a bill and trust them. But how could we trust them? Hell no. I won't vote for a penny for ICE in a Department of Homeland Security budget bill. Period. Full stop,” she said.
Rep. Craig's Warning on Trump's Insurrection Act Threats
Trump on Thursday said he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act to send active military into Minneapolis to quell protests. On Friday, however, Trump told reporters he sees no reason to invoke the act “right now” but that he would use it if he “needed it.”
“We are seeing images from the streets of Minnesota that are just extraordinary and also with the president's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act, I just want to make sure that folks understand that would mean sending our military to take over the state of Minnesota. That would mean ousting potentially our state leaders. That would be an extraordinary, extraordinary act on the part of the president,” Craig said.
Craig urged Minnesotans not to give the administration “a reason to invoke the Insurrection Act.”
She said she has “very little confidence” that Trump is interested in de-escalation and that ICE is not making the community any safer.
A national healing will be “very, very difficult” until leaders are trying to bring the country together, she said. 5/23
“Donald Trump, often from the very top, communicates very divisive language, and as someone who represents a strongly swing district in Minnesota, a swing state, I would say that we've got to start talking again across the ideological spectrum,” Craig said. “We've got to get out of our respective bubbles, my blue bubble or someone else's red bubble.”
What People Are Saying
Representative Kelly Morrison, a Minnesota Democrat, said in a statement earlier in January: "Kristi Noem’s reckless and dangerous ICE operations have completely eroded all public trust. Schools have been forced to close. Businesses and restaurants have been forced to close. Families are terrified to go to work, to seek medical care, to get groceries, or to even leave their homes. And I am routinely receiving outreach from constituents who have had family members – US citizens – detained by ICE and they cannot contact them. Secretary Kristi Noem is making Americans less safe. This is indisputably disqualifying."
Vice President JD Vance on X after Good's killing: "I want every ICE officer to know that their president, vice president, and the entire administration stands behind them. To the radicals assaulting them, doxxing them, and threatening them: congratulations, we're going to work even harder to enforce the law."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, wrote on X on Sunday: “Democrats are doing everything they can to try to stop the America First agenda. They’re trying to impeach Secretary Noem and other members of President Trump’s cabinet. And they’ll impeach President Trump again the next chance they get. We can’t let it happen.”
What Happens Next
Noem's impeachment will face tough odds in Congress presently. But Democrats are hopeful about their chances of flipping control of the House of Representatives in November. If they do so, they could impeach Noem in 2027. However, conviction would require support from 67 senators, meaning it would need substantial GOP backing even if Democrats have a good year in the Senate elections.