Another political storm is brewing in Washington as a Democratic lawmaker takes aim at a key Trump administration figure with serious accusations.
On December 11, 2025, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill) fired off a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, demanding a probe into Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over allegations of misconduct that could lead to impeachment or resignation.
This latest clash centers on Ramirez’s claims that Noem has mishandled her role at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), engaging in what the congresswoman calls lawbreaking, misuse of taxpayer money, and ethical lapses.
Ramirez didn’t mince words during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, directly confronting Noem with a laundry list of grievances and a stark warning about her future.
“Your options are limited. Either you’re going to resign, Trump’s going to fire you, or you will be impeached,” Ramirez declared, as reported from the hearing.
Well, that’s quite the ultimatum, but let’s unpack this—accusations of this magnitude demand hard evidence, and while Ramirez is passionate, conservatives might argue she’s playing a partisan card against a secretary pushing a tough, results-driven border policy.
Among the specific charges, Ramirez points to a $200 million DHS public relations campaign, alleging it involved vendors cozy with Noem and top department brass—a claim that, if true, raises eyebrows about stewardship of public funds.
She also criticized Noem’s approval of a partisan video aired in airports during a government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, arguing it breaches the Hatch Act’s rules on political activity by federal officials.
Then there’s the $172 million purchase of two Gulfstream jets under Noem’s watch—Ramirez seems to think this is a luxury DHS can’t justify, though one might counter that secure transport for top officials isn’t exactly a frivolous expense in today’s climate.
Ramirez further alleges Noem has downplayed serious issues like the detention of U.S. citizens by ICE and misrepresented deportation outcomes, specifically citing the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
She’s also up in arms about DHS tactics, claiming excessive force through chemical weapons in Chicago despite a federal court order barring such methods—a troubling accusation if substantiated, though context on enforcement challenges is often missing from these critiques.
On the flip side, Noem’s DHS has touted significant numbers, with 2.5 million unauthorized migrants reportedly leaving the U.S. since President Trump’s second inauguration, including 600,000 ICE deportations and nearly two million self-departures aided by tools like the CBP Home app.
President Trump, for his part, has stood firmly by Noem, praising her border leadership as “fantastic” and expressing that he’s “so happy with her."
While Ramirez pushes for accountability, it’s worth noting that impeachment moves against cabinet members, though uncommon, have spiked under this administration, with other Democrats targeting figures like HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Ramirez, a vocal critic of Trump’s immigration stance, has a history of sharp rhetoric against DHS and ICE, and her latest move might be seen by conservatives as less about oversight and more about undermining a border security agenda many Americans support.
