A large swath of Americans disapprove of how Kristi Noem’s ICE agents are comporting themselves on the job.
A new poll from the New York Times/Sienna College found that 63 percent of registered voters disapprove of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is handling its job. 55 percent of voters polled strongly disapproved of ICE’s job performance, and 8 percent somewhat disapprove.
The poll was taken after 37-year-old mother Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross in Minnesota. Good’s death has sparked widespread protests in the Twin Cities and across the United States. On Friday, thousands of protesters marched throughout downtown Minneapolis, demanding that ICE leave the city.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ICE to “get the f--k out” of the city. Governor Tim Walz has also told the agency to leave the state.
Noem has repeatedly claimed that Good was engaging in “domestic terrorism” and attempted to ram ICE agents with her car at the time she was killed. Video footage of the incident, however, shows that Good attempted to drive away from the scene at the time she was shot.
After shots were fired, an ICE agent can be heard calling her a “f---ing b---h.”
In the aftermath of Good’s killing, DHS has deployed even more federal immigration agents to Minnesota as part of the Trump administration’s harsh immigration agenda.
A CNN poll released earlier this month also found that 51 percent of Americans believe that ICE is making American cities less safe.
The poor polling of Noem’s department comes as she has reportedly been on thin ice with the Trump administration for her conduct surrounding Good’s death. White House officials told Politico that they were worried Noem’s smear campaign against Good would only further harm ICE’s reputation.
“I don’t know how we recover from this,” said one official, adding, “This is highly problematic and not a good look and not something our government should be remotely engaged in.”
“Do I think it’s domestic terrorism? Yeah, I do, but it might not have been wise to say that at the outset, how [Noem] said it,” another person close to the White House told the outlet.
A growing number of House Democrats are warming up to the idea of impeaching Noem.
Illinois Democrat Robin Kelly filed articles of impeachment against Noem earlier this month, accusing her of obstructing Congress, abusing her office for personal gain, and violating her oath of office.
Several other House Democrats said they would co-sponsor Kelly’s push.
The Daily Beast reached out to DHS for comment.
