Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) sharply criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Wednesday, calling out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for unlawfully detaining U.S. citizens and violating constitutional protections.
Jayapal opened her questioning by asking Noem to describe the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, to which the secretary vaguely responded that it “guarantees the right to a lawful search and seizure.” Jayapal corrected Noem, stating that the amendment protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. After briefly outlining the amendment, Jayapal said she had sent the secretary three letters beginning in February 2025 raising concerns that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had detained U.S. citizens in violation of the Constitution.
According to Jayapal, the department did not respond for more than a year, and it wasn’t until the day prior that She finally received a response confirming that ICE has detained 18 U.S. citizens.
Jayapal Confronts Noem With 4 US Citizens Detained By ICE
Jayapal then introduced four U.S. citizens present in the room whom she said had also been detained by ICE but were not included in the department’s response. She described each case in detail.
One individual, Patricia O’Keefe, was monitoring ICE agents when officers allegedly deployed pepper spray into her car, broke her windows, and detained her for several hours on obstruction allegations that were later dropped. Another, Ryan Ecklund, was detained after agents blocked his vehicle and later approached him in his neighborhood. Jayapal said he was pulled from his car, placed in leg irons, and held for six hours.
She also cited the case of Wesley Powers, who she said was struck with a pepper-ball projectile while protesting and detained without medical assistance. A fourth individual, Marine Corps veteran Edmund Higgins, was pursued by ICE agents after honking his car horn while observing an operation and ultimately detained for several hours.
Jayapal asked the four individuals to raise their hands if they had not been charged with any crime following their detention. Everyone raise their hands. She then asked the individuals to raise their hands if any had not been asked to prove their citizenship status during their detention. Again, everyone raised their hands. Finally, she asked whether they had been detained while exercising their First Amendment rights by protesting or monitoring ICE activity. All four raised their hands.
Jayapal Tells Noem To Her Face: ‘You Need To Resign, Be Fired, Or Be Impeached’
Jayapal stated that the incidents were not isolated and cited reporting by ProPublica that identified more than 170 U.S. citizens detained during the administration’s first eight months.
She asked Noem whether she had any message for the individuals present or for Americans concerned about the incidents.
Noem responded that “context is critical” and said the full circumstances of each incident would need to be examined to understand what occurred before and after the arrests.
Jayapal rejected the explanation, emphasizing that none of the individuals had been charged with crimes and that none had their citizenship status questioned. She argued that the DHS had failed to uphold constitutional protections and accused the administration of turning federal law enforcement against American citizens.
Concluding her remarks, Jayapal said Noem had failed to take accountability and called on her to resign, be removed from office, or face impeachment.
