Delia Ramirez

Illinois Democrats are celebrating the ouster of controversial Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem — months after she led aggressive immigration operations in the Chicago area that left one person dead and another surviving being shot five times by a federal immigration agent.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Kristi Noem,” Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on social media. The governor also posted a fake LinkedIn profile with Noem’s face and an "#opentowork” label.

U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, who last week met with Noem and reminded her that her days were numbered, wrote on X, “Good riddance! We still have to impeach her, Melt ICE and dismantle DHS.” U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly echoed the “Good riddance” sentiment — and called her “an incompetent leader who enriched her friends and unleashed her Gestapo agents with no regard for the law or human life.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson said Noem “weaponized fear to undermine trust in communities,” adding, “She will not be missed in Chicago.”

“Her tenure will be remembered by her brazen corruption, the reckless exploitation of vulnerable families to advance a far-right agenda, and willingness to put the President’s interests over those of the American people,” Johnson said in a statement.

There were rumblings of dissatisfaction from President Donald Trump following two consecutive days of testimony by Noem before Senate and House committees, which featured grilling from both Democrats and Republicans. Trump on Truth Social said he will nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her. Trump says he’ll make Noem a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.

Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trump’s second term — and she was the public face of the president’s immigration plan in commercials aimed at recruiting federal immigration agents and urging people who lack legal status to self-deport. Trump removed Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino from overseeing Minneapolis immigration operations after the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of federal officers.

Under Noem, at least 2,800 people were arrested in Illinois in Operation Midway Blitz between mid-September through mid-October, primarily in the Chicago area, according to ICE data obtained by the Data Deportation Project and statements about Border Patrol arrests made by the Justice Department in court. The operation slowed down in mid-November. Silverio Villegas González, a father and cook originally from Mexico, was shot at “close range” as he allegedly tried to flee a traffic stop Sept. 12.

Sen. Dick Durbin reacted to Noem’s exit by saying she was “unfit for the job” and accusing her of lying under oath before Congress.

“Kristi Noem was the face of an unpopular, illegal, and outright dangerous mass deportation campaign that claimed the lives of innocent Americans and terrorized many more. Our country expressed outrage, she repeatedly lied before Congress, and even the President finally conceded she was unfit for the job,” Durbin said.

Durbin on Tuesday asked Noem about the killings of Pretti and Good in Minneapolis, as well as Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman who survived being shot five times by a federal agent in October. In each case, DHS labeled the victims “domestic terrorists.”

“We have ample video evidence and eyewitness testimony proving you are wrong. Your statements caused immeasurable pain to these families,” Durbin told Noem. “Let me give you an opportunity to do the right thing. Do you retract these statements identifying these individuals as domestic terrorists?”

Noem called the shootings “tragic situations” and said “we always offer our condolences to those families.” The DHS head said she was “relying on reports from the ground and from agents that are there and working to be transparent.” She also claimed she didn’t know about Martinez’s shooting.

Durbin on Thursday also accused Noem of lying under oath during Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee, including stating that DHS is following court orders, despite a sworn declaration that ICE has violated over 50 court orders in the state of New Jersey. She also denied that DHS had detained American citizens, which is also false, Durbin said. And she denied that aide Corey Lewandowski had any role in approving DHS contracts.

“The Secretary took an oath to tell the truth. But instead, she repeatedly failed to do so,” Durbin said. "...This should concern every member of this Committee — Republican and Democrat alike. ”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth reacted to Noem’s ouster by saying it should have happened “a long, long time ago.”

“Next, the Trump Administration needs to work with Democrats to enact the commonsense DHS reforms that the American people are crying out for,” Duckworth said in a statement. “Helping prevent more Americans from being executed by their own government is the very least they can do.”

Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia called DHS a “rogue and lawless agency designed to trample on our civil rights,” and said, “She deserved to be fired, but we still need accountability for crimes committed on her watch.”

On Wednesday, Noem faced questions before the House Judiciary Committee about an advertising contract — glitzy ads starring Noem discussing Trump’s ongoing immigration campaign. Under questioning, Noem said the president had signed off on the $220 million ad campaign. But Trump on Thursday contradicted that claim, according to Reuters: “I never knew anything about it,” Trump said.

There were also questions about Gulfstream private jets Noem used, which a department official told the New York Times were used for safety. The funding came from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill’s DHS allocation.

Ramirez met with Noem last week and came equipped with specific requests, including barring federal agents from churches, schools and hospitals. And she also told her in no uncertain terms — twice — that she’s work to impeach her. She also told her she recognized that her “days may be numbered.”

Ramirez on Thursday told the Sun-Times Noem’s removal is a “victory” for protesters who stood up against aggressive tactics by federal agents.

“Her removal is a people’s victory for everyone that’s protested, whether it’s in Minneapolis or in Chicago or in Oregon or North Carolina around the country. It is a victory for them,” Ramirez said. “But you and I both know that removing the head does not change the fact that this agency has the authority to operate the way it has because of the way it’s structured, and so putting Senator Mullen isn’t going to change much.”

Despite her ouster, Ramirez and other Illinois Democrats say they’ll still push for impeachment proceedings. U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, both running for Durbin’s seat, are also pushing to impeach Noem, with Krishnamoorthi on Wednesday also attempting to subpoena Noem, a move that was blocked by House Republicans.

“The final win is not just her removal. It’s not sufficient. We’re happy that she’s been removed. I think the people in Chicago and all over the country that did a lot of work, that recorded, they put themselves on the line so that people like her are no longer in leadership,” Ramirez said. “But she has no place in public office, and we have to make sure that we go through a process that actually addresses her unethical behavior and the people that have died under her watch.”