In a rare meeting amid a partial government shutdown affecting her agency, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., on Wednesday afternoon as the Chicago congresswoman pushed for a shift in tactics from immigration agents, according to Ramirez’s office.
A Ramirez staff member described the meeting as "combative." Ramirez, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee who has railed against the Trump administration's deportation and detention tactics, called on Noem to commit to six broad policy areas, according to her office. Among them: Revoke the warrantless home entry memo for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers, reaffirm guidelines to respect the Fourth Amendment, codify minimum use of force standards, and adhere to better conditions of detention, including providing adequate medical support for immigration detainees.
The meeting involved Ramirez, her chief of staff and legislative director, as well as Noem, a senior counselor, two deputy chiefs of staff and an undersecretary, according to Ramirez's office.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ramirez has previously called for defunding ICE, supported the dismantling of DHS and demanded hearings aimed at Noem’s impeachment. In a letter to Noem outlining their discussion Wednesday and shared with NBC News, Ramirez reiterated that she stood by those positions.
“I continue to call for your resignation. Your options are limited: you either resign, Trump fires you, or you will be impeached,” Ramirez said to Noem, according to her letter. “I urge you to reconsider resignation, because I have taken the first step towards your impeachment, and called on the Judiciary Committee to open an investigation into your lawlessness.”
As part of her asks, Ramirez also called for reinstating a 2021 Biden-era memorandum, which stated that immigration agents would refrain from carrying out enforcement in “sensitive areas” like around churches, schools and hospitals.
