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“The whims of Trump do not set the course for our nation, nor is our country a stage for your distorted authoritarian dreams,” declared Rep. Delia Ramirez in a firm rebuke.<\/p>\n
For several weeks, U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez has been vocal in demanding the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, criticizing her key role in advancing the Trump administration’s staunch anti-immigrant policies. On a Wednesday, seizing a direct confrontation, Ramirez once again urged the staunchly conservative Republican to resign.<\/p>\n
“We have been awaiting Secretary Noem’s appearance before our committee for many weeks,” Ramirez (D-Ill.) stated in a video she shared online before the House Homeland Security Committee hearing. “I refuse to simply watch her mislead under oath about the appalling actions she\u2019s been part of… Enough is enough, and in just a few moments, I will tell her directly because it\u2019s high time she steps down,” she added.<\/p>\n
At the start of the hearing, Ramirez rapidly questioned Noem, probing whether the Secretary acknowledges the judiciary and legislative as co-equal branches of government\u2014principles the Trump administration has overlooked. This includes ignoring a federal court\u2019s directive to halt the deportation of Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act, attempting to dissolve federal agencies established by Congress, and halting Congress-approved funding.<\/p>\n
Despite Noem\u2019s assertion during the hearing that she and her administration adhere to foundational laws that uphold federal checks and balances, Ramirez pointed out in the session that Noem has “continuously ignored the law” since her confirmation as Homeland Security Secretary.<\/p>\n
Ramirez highlighted:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You terminated operations mandated by law, such as the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman.<\/p>\n
\nYou scrapped contracts for legally sanctioned programs, including those for shelter and services, as well as citizenship and integration grants.<\/p>\n
\nYou have obstructed and intimidated members of this committee as they performed congressional oversight.<\/p>\n
\nYou diverted funds to terrorize our communities, fund politically driven propaganda initiatives, and conduct offensive press meetings in my state, where you are decidedly unwelcome.<\/p>\n
\nYou improperly exploited emergency powers to bypass standard procurement processes, enriching Trump\u2019s private prison benefactors by directing $45 billion to them for expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities.<\/p>\n
\nYou cut funding intended for addressing genuine homeland threats while you target a college newspaper editor, labor leaders, and a Harvard scientist who neglected to declare frog embryos at the airport.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ramirez openly scoffed at Noem\u2019s claim of upholding the U.S. Constitution upon taking her oath of office.<\/p>\n
“Your actions do not reflect someone who takes that oath seriously,” Ramirez remarked. “We are not governed by a dictatorship or a monarchy. Trump’s desires do not dictate our country’s path, nor is our nation a playground for his and your perverse authoritarian fantasies.”<\/p>\n
“YOU have dishonored the core tenets of your oath; YOU are unfit for your role, and I\u2014directly to your face\u2014demand your resignation and officially record this request,” Ramirez concluded emphatically.<\/p>\n
The congresswoman also penned a letter to Noem reemphasizing her call for resignation and condemning actions by Department of Homeland Security officials, including unlawful raids and deportations of “immigrants, legal residents, and citizens alike,” affecting numerous children.<\/p>\n
She echoed concerns from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) raised in a recent hearing, pointing out that Noem’s department is “spiraling out of control” and soon “will run out of funds to carry out the atrocities we are witnessing.”<\/p>\n
Noem is also “devoid of justifiable excuses for her reprehensible actions,” Ramirez wrote.<\/p>\n
Commenting on Ramirez’s questioning, podcast host Jim Stewartson remarked, “Delia Ramirez cuts right through the nonsense, laying everything out clearly.”<\/p>\n
In Wednesday\u2019s hearing, Noem suggested that the U.S. Constitution permits Trump to suspend habeas corpus, an idea promoted by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.<\/p>\n
Human rights organizations have submitted numerous habeas corpus petitions contesting the detentions of foreign students including Mahmoud Khalil, R\u00fcmeysa \u00d6zt\u00fcrk, and Badar Khan Suri; \u00d6zt\u00fcrk and Suri have since been released.<\/p>\n
The Constitution specifies that habeas corpus may only be suspended “in cases of rebellion or invasion where public safety may require it.”<\/p>\n
The administration has propagated the notion that the U.S. faces an “invasion” by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, using this claim to deport hundreds of migrants to El Salvador.<\/p>\n
“No government has the authority to arbitrarily strip you of your freedom,” stated Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in response to Miller’s remarks on Tuesday. “Maintaining habeas corpus is not optional. It’s a critical principle of justice that many have fought and died to protect.”<\/p>\n
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