Who is heading DHS and are they getting impeached
Executive summary
Kristi Noem is the current Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and a wave of Democratic lawmakers — joined by some individual Republicans and at least one Democratic senator publicly calling for impeachment — have introduced articles and threatened to impeach her after recent fatal shootings by federal immigration agents and disputes over her public statements and oversight refusals [1] [2] [3] [4]. While House Democrats have amassed substantial co-sponsorship and vowed to move if President Trump does not fire her, an actual removal from office faces steep hurdles in the Republican-controlled Congress and the Senate trial threshold makes conviction unlikely in the near term [5] [4].
1. Who is heading DHS right now — the simple fact
The Department of Homeland Security is headed by Secretary Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem, who is serving in that role and has been the public face of DHS in recent briefings and congressional exchanges cited across national outlets [1] [4] [6].
2. Why impeachment is being proposed: the triggering incidents and allegations
Calls to impeach Noem escalated after at least two deadly shootings by immigration agents, including a high-profile fatality in Minneapolis, and Democrats accuse DHS under her leadership of misrepresenting facts about the incidents, blocking congressional oversight visits to ICE facilities, and violating civil rights and other laws — allegations formally laid out in H.Res.996, the impeachment resolution introduced in the House [2] [7] [8].
3. How much support does the impeachment effort have in the House?
House Democratic leaders have publicly threatened impeachment if President Trump does not fire Noem, and as of reporting a large majority of House Democrats — roughly three‑quarters or 162 co-sponsors by one count — had signed onto the effort or related resolutions, while multiple House Democrats filed three articles of impeachment accusing Noem of blocking oversight, misusing funds, and violating civil rights [9] [5] [7].
4. Broader political endorsements and cross-branch pressure
Beyond the House, individual figures have amplified the push: Senator Jacky Rosen (D‑Nev.) publicly called for impeachment and said she would withhold votes on DHS funding absent guardrails, other House Democrats like Chris Pappas and Rosa DeLauro have openly supported impeachment or removal, and party leaders including Hakeem Jeffries framed impeachment as the next step if the president refuses to act [3] [10] [11] [12].
5. The practical chances of removal and institutional barriers
Despite the intensity of Democratic demands, multiple outlets and legal realities note the impeachment effort faces long odds: the GOP controls the House and Senate majorities require two‑thirds to convict after impeachment, and President Trump has publicly said he will not fire Noem — factors that make a Senate conviction and removal unlikely unless party dynamics shift substantially [4] [13].
6. Political context, competing agendas, and what this move signals
The impeachment push must be read as both a response to specific alleged abuses and as political leverage: Democrats are using impeachment threats to block DHS funding and force public hearings, while Republicans who led earlier impeachments of past DHS leadership reflect a tit‑for‑tat institutionalization of impeachment as a partisan tool, meaning some actions are as much about signaling control and accountability as they are about legal remedy [14] [9] [15].
7. Timeline and next steps — what to watch for and reporting limits
In the short term, Democrats have filed articles and scheduled hearings (including a Feb. 10 Homeland Security Committee hearing) and plan to press investigations with or without GOP cooperation; however, available reporting does not cover every procedural development or internal White House deliberation, so the precise calendar and outcome remain contingent on committee votes, House floor action, and strategic choices by the GOP leadership and the president [5] [13] [9].