The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 820,000 federal employees, including agents working for the US Border Patrol, is calling for the immediate removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, both of whom have blood on their hands from the blatant murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Good was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) three weeks ago in Minneapolis. Pretti was gunned down by Border Patrol agents last Saturday.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement, “Our demand is clear: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was responsible for carrying out the policy that led to Alex’s needless killing, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of that policy, must resign immediately. If they refuse, President Trump must dismiss them.”
“Public reporting has established that Mr. Miller is the driving force behind the administration’s harsh immigration agenda,” he continued. “He personally directed its implementation and used high-pressure tactics to force compliance across the federal government. These were not abstract policy choices. They were imposed from the top and enforced without regard for the consequences.”
As an ICU nurse at a VA hospital in Minnesota, Pretti was also a member of the AFGE.
“Taken together, the actions of Miller and Noem, both before and after Alex’s killing, make clear they are unfit to serve in their current positions, or any position requiring the public trust,” Everett concluded.
On Monday, according to multiple reports, “Commander at large” for the U.S. Border Patrol Gregory Bovino was removed from his post, and returned to his old post in California, with NBC News noting, “Bovino will be returning to the border in El Centro, California, a senior White House official and an administration official told NBC News. The officials said he is losing his ‘commander’ title and will return to his previous job as Border Patrol sector chief in El Centro. He will not continue overseeing Border Patrol agents making immigration arrests in interior U.S. cities, they said.”
Could Noem and Miller be next? That depends on whether or not Donald Trump sees them as a threat to his already fading political fortunes.
Recent polls have shown that Trump is the most unpopular head of state in US history, with a majority of Americans giving him negative numbers for his immigration policies. A continued slide in his polling average could lead to massive losses for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections and result in a third impeachment of Dementia Don.
